Buckle up, folks.
It’s time for a post-weekend game of two truths and a lie.
1) Francis Ngannou was better in the ring than we thought he’d be.
2) Francis Ngannou will get a big audience for his next boxing match.
3) Francis Ngannou defeated Tyson Fury.
Spoiler alert, everyone. The third one is the lie.
Though the ex-UFC strongman far exceeded the rather modest pre-fight expectations placed upon him by fans, media members, and anyone else who cared to chime in, no, he didn’t win the fight.
Didn’t deserve to. Didn’t do enough.
And, thus, didn’t get robbed.
He did orchestrate the fight’s most memorable moment with the left hook that sent the consensus heavyweight champion to the floor in the third round. No argument there.
And he did look for a bit – particularly toward the end of the eighth round – as if another volley of punches might be enough to topple Fury, who by then looked as frazzled and gassed as he’d ever looked in a high-profile moment.
But the volley never came.
Instead, Fury resumed setting the pace across the final six minutes and out-landed Ngannou by a 14-6 margin, adding Nos. 5 and 6 to the count of rounds (with one even) in which he’d connected more often.
By final count, he threw eight fewer punches but landed a dozen more across 10 rounds, taking the ninth on all three scorecards and adding the 10th in the eyes of veteran judge Juan Carlos Pelayo.
Pelayo had it 7-3 in rounds. Alan Krebs had it 6-4.
And though Ed Garner’s point total leaned 95-94 in Ngannou’s direction thanks to the knockdown, even he had it 5-5 in rounds – meaning not one judge saw the “challenger” as statistically superior. Meaning the criminal claims by Carl Froch, Joel Embiid, and Eddie Hearn, among others, are, in a word, nonsense.
Unimpressive? Embarrassing? Humbling?
Absolutely.
But not close to a robbery and no cause for investigation, no matter how unexpected.
Those seeking precedent can look back a generation to a heavyweight title fight between undisputed champ Evander Holyfield and middle-aged challenger George Foreman – a ripped 28-year-old against a jiggly 42-year-old – in which the sentimental favorite landed some significant shots and was far more stubborn than most believed he’d be, but little beyond that titillation suggested he’d won.
And though an Atlantic City crowd hooted contrarily, the judges got it right that night, too, giving Holyfield edges of 9-3, 8-4 and 7-5 in rounds and not rewarding Foreman simply for being surprising.
Still, speaking of surprising, ex-HBO blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley lauded another ex-champ’s impact on Ngannou, who may get a WBC rating and will surely get another center-stage opportunity.
“I suspect Mike (Tyson) had an effect here,” he told Boxing Scene.
“People forget what a depth of classical skill training he got from D’Amato. People don’t fully understand how empathetic and giving he can be. Teaching could be a great new career for Mike.”
As for Fury, it’s a far tougher return to normalcy.
A promised reengagement to face Oleksandr Usyk for ultimate heavyweight supremacy may have to wait to allow recovery from the sheer rigor of the Ngannou fight and the forehead scrape sustained in it.
If/when the showdown does occur, it’ll be particularly incumbent upon the still-unbeaten Brit to deliver a performance that’s palette-cleansing enough to push this Butt Fumble of a show to the background.
Yes, it was that bad.
And no, Billy Lyell doesn’t think the stain is washable.
Not now or ever.
“One thing is for sure,” the ex-middleweight title challenger told Boxing Scene, “Fury’s legacy as possibly one of the greatest heavyweights of all time is gone.
“No one will ever consider him up there with Ali, Tyson, Holmes, Lewis.”
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s title-fight schedule:
SATURDAY
IBF junior lightweight title – Monte Carlo, Monaco
Joe Cordina (champion/No. 3 Ring) vs. Edward Vazquez (No. 9 IBF/Unranked Ring)
Cordina (16-0, 9 KO): Second title defense; Sixth fight scheduled for 12 rounds (5-0, 2 KO)
Vazquez (15-1, 3 KO): First title fight; Second fight scheduled outside the United States (1-0, 0 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Cordina’s title and first defense made him one of the more interesting breakout fighters of the last 18 months. So while Vazquez is respectable, he’s not on that level. Cordina in 8 (99/1)
IBF junior flyweight title – Monte Carlo, Monaco
Sivenathi Nontshinga (champion/No. 3 Ring) vs. Adrian Curiel (No. 12 IBF/Unranked Ring)
Nontshinga (12-0, 9 KO): Second title defense; Second fight scheduled outside South Africa (1-0, 0 KO)
Curiel (23-4-1, 4 KO): First title fight; First fight scheduled outside Mexico (0-0, 0 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Nontshinga may or may not warrant the “Special One” nickname, but he’s been impressive through a dozen fights. No reason to think it won’t continue to 13. Nontshinga by decision (90/10)
Vacant WBC cruiserweight title – Miami, Florida
Noel Mikaelyan (No. 1 WBC/Unranked Ring) vs. Ilunga Makabu (No. 2 WBC/No. 6 Ring)
Mikaelyan (26-2, 11 KO): First title fight; Third fight scheduled in the United States (1-1, 0 KO)
Makabu (29-3, 25 KO): Fifth title fight (3-1); Held WBC title at 200 pounds (2020-23, two defenses)
Fitzbitz says: Makabu missed out on a chance to get Canelo in a ring and lost his belt to an ancient Badou Jack not long after. Mikaelyan is taller, longer, and younger. Good enough for me. Mikaelyan in 5 (65/35)
Last week’s picks: 1-0 WIN: Foster)
2023 picks record: 38-12 (76.5 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,289-420 (75.4 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body’s full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA “world championships” are only included if no “super champion” exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.