Tyson Fury avoided one of the biggest shocks in boxing history by the skin of his teeth after rallying back to claim a controversial victory over Francis Ngannou.
The Gypsy King was awarded the win by split decision in Saudi Arabia last night, but only after he was sent crashing to the canvas in jaw-dropping third-round drama.
His WBC heavyweight belt was not on the line in Riyadh but Fury visibly struggled to get to grips with the impressive Ngannou and delivered a sluggish performance.
Ngannou made his professional boxing debut and more than matched Fury throughout the bout, only suffering an agonising setback on the judges’ cards.
Next up for Fury is set to be Oleksandr Usyk. Mail Sport has all the details…
Tyson Fury is set to fight Oleksandr Usyk next after his controversial win over Francis Ngannou
Fury and Usyk faced off in the ring but their provisional bout date in December is unlikely
Who’s next?
Fury and Usyk have signed contracts to set up an undisputed heavyweight championship fight in Saudi Arabia, a bout that will settle their rivalry.
The showdown will see the fighters look to unify the WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles, with the duo holding the four major belts between them.
Fury will enter the ring with his WBC belt, while Usyk currently holds the other three.
It will be difficult for either superstar to hold all four titles for long, however, due to the obligations from four different sanctioning bodies in the sport.
Usyk, like Fury, has never lost a professional fight.
Fury was knocked to the canvas by Ngannou in a major scare but his unbeaten record is intact
Both Usyk and Fury have signed contracts to set up the undisputed heavyweight title scrap
When is the fight?
Fury and Usyk went head to head in the ring after the former’s triumph over Ngannou, though the Gypsy King looked shellshocked after his narrow escape.
No confirmation of a date for their upcoming fight was given, though.
A proposed date of December 23 was pencilled in but this currently appears unlikely. Fury will need to assess his recovery before confirming when he can next box.
Fury was dropped in the third round and suffered swelling around his left eye.
Promoter Frank Warren has confirmed that Fury v Usyk is doubtful for December 23rd, with Riyadh Season running until March, offering more time for the scrap.
Frank Warren (second from left) has admitted the December 23 date is doubtful at present
What have they said?
During their face-off last night, Fury said: ‘Let’s go!’
Usyk then replied: ‘Let’s go. I’m going to be fighting him, amazing.’
‘Let’s go now if you want,’ Fury added. ‘It’ll be our next fight guaranteed.’
Fury’s reluctance to set the date in stone is a backtrack from his earlier comments, which said the fight had to be December 23 or Usyk would be in breach of contract.
‘The whole world wants this fight,’ Usyk said.
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