Francis Ngannou makes decision on appealing his controversial defeat by Tyson Fury, after fans claimed he was ‘ROBBED’ in Riyadh

• Francis Ngannou lost by split decision to Tyson Fury on Saturday night
• Some fans feel he was ‘robbed’ and Ngannou has revealed whether he’ll appeal
• Listen to Mail Sport’s new boxing podcast THE HOOK – with exclusive interviews

Francis Ngannou has made a final decision on whether he will appeal his split decision defeat to Tyson Fury following their controversial clash in Saudi Arabia.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was given very little chance by fans and pundits alike as he entered the ring for his boxing debut in Riyadh, but he shocked the world by knocking down Fury in the third round and then taking him the distance.

At the end of the bout, many believed Ngannou had done enough to get his hand raised, but Fury was awarded a razor-thin decision by the judges, leaving fans claiming he was ‘robbed’.

High-profile boxing figures including Eddie Hearn and Chris Eubank Jr also believe Ngannou won, and the man himself feels he should have got the decision, but he has ruled out appealing as he claims he would have ‘no chance’ of overturning the verdict.

When asked by TMZ Sports if he would contest the decision, Ngannou replied: ‘Who am I gonna appeal to? [The British Boxing Commission]? I have no chance. I think that’s just another way of humiliation.’

Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury but still lost a controversial split decision

Ngannou has now revealed that he will not appeal the verdict as he feels he has ‘no chance’ of getting it overturned

Ngannou’s response follows on from him stating on his YouTube channel earlier this week that he always knew the odds would be stacked against him if the fight was close due to him being a newcomer to the sport.

Despite just falling short of pulling off one of the biggest shocks in heavyweight history, Ngannou has not been deterred from following his boxing dream and is already looking ahead to the future.

He has his sights firmly set on a rematch with Fury, and is hopeful that Oleksandr Usyk could step aside from an undisputed clash with the ‘Gypsy King’ to allow the fight to happen.

‘The rematch is what I want next the most,’ he said.

‘As for right now I feel like there is a lot of options for me, but I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first.

Ngannou wants Oleksandr Usyk (right) to step aside so he can get an immediate rematch with Fury

‘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 with some people in boxing.

‘I’m planning to fight potentially twice next year, [starting] maybe February or March.’

Fury’s fight with Usyk was originally slated for December 23, but that has now been pushed back after Ngannou gave him a much harder test than anticipated.

A date in early 2024 is now being targeted by Fury’s promoter Frank Warren, but Ngannou wants it to be pushed back even further so he can get his hands on Fury once more. 

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