Tyson Fury Felt ‘Timing Was Quite Off’ in Narrow Victory Over Francis Ngannou

Tyson Fury disputes the notion that he didn’t take Francis Ngannou seriously heading into their fight this past Saturday.

The former UFC champion surprised the boxing world when he pushed Fury to the limit in losing a 10-round split decision in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. It was Ngannou’s debut in the Sweet Science, while Fury is regarded as the best heavyweight boxer in the world.

“Listen, usually when you get the media saying it’s a mismatch, it’s not worth watching and all that, usually you’re in for a tough night,” Fury recently told Boxing King Media. “If I wasn’t training as hard as I did, I probably wouldn’t have gotten through that fight.”

It was Fury’s first professional appearance since December 2022, and he believes that might have affected his performance.

“I felt my timing was quite off,” Fury said. “I’ve been out of the ring for nearly a year – a little bit of ring rust, but it was what it was. It was far from one of my best performances. It wasn’t a vintage Tyson Fury, but listen, you do what you have to do to get through and on to the next one.”

Of course, Ngannou hasn’t competed in combat sports of any kind since January 2022, when he retained the UFC heavyweight crown with a five-round verdict against Ciryl Gane. While he felt that his own skills were rusty, Fury was also quick to credit his opponent.

“You can’t take anything away from Francis Ngannou,” Fury said. “He’s a good fighter and he gave me a very good fight and that was it. I trained very well. I prepared very good. I don’t think I have an excuse or anything.

“It’s boxing. Some days you have good days, some days you don’t. You crack on and you continue, keep moving forward.”

What that means for Fury is facing Oleksandr Usyk as planned in December. That bout was signed before Fury stepped into the ring with Ngannou.

“You can’t be the best version of yourself every time but it’s about keep going and on to the next one, which is Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship,” he said.