Former world champion boxer Andre Ward doesn’t think Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury was good enough to place him in the WBC’s top 10.
In a fight dubbed the “Battle of the Baddest,” Ngannou made his professional boxing debut last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against “The Gypsy King.” ‘The Predator’ put on an incredible display, making what was supposed to be an easy victory for Fury turn into anything but.
Tyson Fury Defeats Francis Ngannou In His First Ever Boxing Match
The former heavyweight champion of the UFC sparred with Tyson Fury for ten rounds, even taking the British champion out in the third. The judges rendered a highly contentious split verdict that decided Fury, in spite of the Cameroonian’s heroic attempt.
Then, last week, news broke that Francis Ngannou, who finished last on the night, had jumped to the No. 10 spot in the WBC rankings.
Andre Ward chatted with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour after Ngannou’s ranking in the WBC top 10. At that point, Ward acknowledged that he disagreed with the 37-year-old’s rating and asserted that the “politics” of the sport was the sole reason for it. Says he:
“You’ve got guys that have been laboring to get into that top 10. I’m gonna call it what it is — it’s like politics. That’s what it is with the sanctioning bodies. Mauricio [Sulaiman] gets all in an uproar when I talk about these things, he wants to message me on WhatsApp, and he needs to stop messaging me and make sure he’s doing the right things by the company.”
The controversially crowned lineal heavyweight champion is scheduled to return to the ring in February to take on Oleksandr Usyk after defeating “The Predator” by split decision. The fight was originally scheduled to take place in December, but it was postponed because of the injuries that Fury sustained at the hands of Ngannou.
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