Ngannou Rules Out Appealing The Fury Loss; Hopes Fury Rematches Him Over Usyk

Francis Ngannou has ruled out appealing his split-decision loss to Tyson Fury.

On his boxing debut, Ngannou defied the odds by making it to the final bell against the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. And as part of that process, Ngannou did make it a competitive fight. The former UFC heavyweight champion’s left hook continued to cause Fury trouble, which was shown in round three as the shot sent the fighter on the canvas. Despite arguably landing the more eye-catching shots, the scorecards were in favor of Fury as follows: 95-94, 96-93, 95-94.

The reaction to the decision was mixed, with some boxers feeling Ngannou should have gotten the win. Carl Froch referred to the decision as the ‘highest level’ of corruption. Meanwhile, Carl Frampton had also given the win to Ngannou. Although there could be grounds for making an appeal, Ngannou has no intention of doing so.

Francis Ngannou won’t appeal Tyson Fury loss, prioritizes rematch https://t.co/ApCO1IWgqR

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) November 2, 2023

“Who am I gonna appeal to? [The British Boxing Commission]? I have no chance. I think that’s just another way of humiliation,” Ngannou stated

Instead, Ngannou called for Fury to run things back in order to settle any controversy that may have emerged. However, the Gypsy King is expected to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship. While a fight between the pair is now expected to go ahead next year, Ngannou hoped Usyk could step aside so Fury could face him instead.

“My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury. If Usyk can step out and let me fight Fury, I’ll fight Fury. Then I’ll let them do whatever they do. I’ll go back, maybe do some MMA fight and come back and take some people in boxing. I’m planning to fight potentially twice next year, maybe February or March,” Ngannou stated

The prospects of that happening are very slim, given that the Fury-Usyk fight had been difficult to make. And another delay would only hinder the chance to see the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. With that being said, Ngannou recognized that an MMA fight may be an alternative.

“If it doesn’t work, I can still fight February or March in MMA. Then expecting by the end of the year, this time October because it’s going to give me at least seven to eight months to recover from my MMA fight in case something happens,” Ngannou