MMA Fantasy: What if Francis Ngannou won against Tyson Fury?

Tyson Fury has long been heralded as one of the greatest boxers ever. 'The Gypsy King' worked his way up the amateur ranks and later made an even greater impact in the realm of professional boxing. In October 2023, Fury fought MMA great and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the latter's professional boxing debut.

'The Predator' knocked Fury down in round three of their non-title bout. However, 'The Gypsy King' survived, went the 10-round distance, and was awarded the split decision win (94-95, 96-93, and 95-94). Some feel he did enough to outpoint Ngannou, whereas others believe the judges' verdict robbed the ex-UFC fighter of the victory.

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What if Francis Ngannou won against Tyson Fury?

Assuming that Tyson Fury was unable to beat the referee's count after the third-round knockdown, or Francis Ngannou won the fight on the scorecards, today's boxing landscape would've been drastically different. Fury entered their non-title match as the WBC and consensus lineal heavyweight champion. Losing that fight would've led to an immediate rematch, this time with the titles at stake.

In fact, although Fury officially won on the scorecards, many lobbied for 'The Predator' to be given an immediate rematch and title shot against him. While that didn't materialize in actuality, it'd have surely come to fruition if Ngannou had won. A knockout victory, in particular, would've definitely earned him a title shot against 'The Gypsy King' right away.

Meanwhile, Tyson Fury (34 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw) would've suffered the first defeat of his professional boxing career, blemishing his unbeaten boxing record forever.

Another key factor at play would've been that Ngannou's second pro boxing match wouldn't have been a clash against Anthony Joshua. The UK's Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champion, defeated the Cameroonian-French fighter via second-round KO in March 2024.

The belief is that the loss, Ngannou's first KO/TKO loss in any form of combat sports competition, dented his aura of unparalleled durability. Besides, Joshua is now expected to face the winner of the upcoming Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight title fight, or perhaps fight someone else in the meantime.

Had Ngannou beaten Fury, he'd have gotten an immediate rematch, possibly beaten 'The Gypsy King' again, and then fought Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title -- all in his first three pro boxing matches.

Coming back to reality, 'The Predator' appeared on The MMA Hour after his loss against Joshua and signaled that he will box again. Ngannou could potentially make his PFL promotional debut, taking on heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira sometime this year. The 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight kingpin also faced a personal tragedy in April 2024.

On the other hand, Tyson Fury's detractors have questioned the 35-year-old's commitment to his boxing career after his performance against 'The Predator.' They've underscored that Usyk likely has the psychological edge heading into their fight. Fury's situation would've been even worse had he lost to Ngannou. He wouldn't have been booked to compete for the undisputed title and may have retired.

Presently, Fury possesses the WBC and lineal heavyweight titles. Oleksandr Usyk holds the WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles. Their clash will crown boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion since April 2000. The Fury-Usyk match will transpire at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 18, 2024.