Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has defeated MMA star Francis Ngannou by split decision in a 10-round boxing bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The match was tightly fought, with Fury, 35, relying on his jab early on in the match, switching to left-handed briefly in the second round when Ngannou made some headway and even opened a cut above Fury’s left eye.
It was in the third round when Fury dropped to the floor with an almighty left hook that Ngannou, 37, proved he wasn’t going anywhere.
It was only the seventh time Fury has been knocked down during his career.
Ngannou staggered Fury early in the fourth round, but the undefeated heavyweight champion stayed on his feet and the rest of the round was fairly even after that.
Fury appeared to gain control late in the fifth round and carried it over into the sixth, but Ngannou delivered three powerful lefts early in the eighth, as the boxers continually traded blows.
Fury gets up after knockdown
Fans could be heard chanting “Francis! Francis!” early in the 10th round, but ultimately the former UFC heavyweight champion’s first fight with a professional boxer, ended with a controversial split decision from the judging panel.
One judge scored 95-94 to Ngannou, but the other two officials scored the fight 96-93 and 95-94 to Fury.
Ngannou landed 37 power shots to Fury’s