Francis Ngannou went toe-to-toe with Tyson Fury this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia. It was a closer contest than many people expected. Ngannou looked like he should be in the ring with somebody like Fury. Many boxing pundits couldn’t believe it went to a split decision result. People are curious to see what would happen in a rematch, including Billy Joe Saunders.
Francis Ngannou Put On A Great Performance
It was a sensational spectacle in Riyadh as the two heavyweights clashed inside the ring. The former UFC champion did the MMA world proud, giving Fury a real run for his money. The most significant moment in the fight was when Fury, the current WBC heavyweight champion, was sent to the canvas in the third round. It seemed that Fury was expecting Ngannou to run out of steam towards the latter stages of the fight. However, that didn’t happen, as Ngannou came into the contest incredibly well-prepared and looked as good at the end of the battle as he did at the start. It is safe to say Ngannou exceeded expectations, and people are excited to see what he does next.
Billy Joe Saunders Gives His Thoughts
Saunders is an exceptional talent inside of a boxing ring and even won a world championship. In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Saunders discussed the fight and what would happen in a potential rematch.
“It wasn’t a robbery, It was very close. It could’ve gone either way, and Tyson got the nod. He’s the champion,” Saunders said. “But, it wasn’t Tyson whatsoever. From the word go, I knew he would have a tough night because I know Tyson inside out.
“Normally, you see him standing up tall, getting behind that jab, using his feints,” Saunders continued. “If someone said to me, ‘You’re fighting someone from the UFC in the boxing ring,’ I would probably take my eye off the ball a little bit, maybe not go through the fine details… If Tyson were a fraction of himself, Ngannou wouldn’t lay a glove on him. But I’ve seen Tyson in sparring; I’ve seen how he acts when he’s fighting certain people. To me, it was like he wasn’t switched on.”
Quotes via MMA News
After an intriguing first meeting, seeing if the two will ever meet again would be attractive.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
