List of All Articles with Tag 'ng'

How the statistics of Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham compare

Francis Ngannou came close to pulling off the biggest and most outrageous shock in boxing history just after midnight on Saturday in Riyadh. Ngannou had never once fought as a boxer, but for 10 rounds he bullied, pushed, clubbed, hit and dropped the unbeaten world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury. At the end of the contest, Fury won a controversial split decision to remain unbeaten, but his bruised and bloody face was harsh and undeniable testimony to the success Ngannou had throughout the fight. It was called a freak show, a circus event and the carnival fight was meant to be an easy night in the ring for Fury; at ringside, the other unbeaten heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, was waiting with a smile on his face and his contract for a fight with Fury in his pocket. He was not smiling at the end. The plan had been for their $100m unification fight to be back in Riyadh in late December; that date has not yet officially been dropped, but it is seriously unlikely. Fury was exhausted and heavily marked on the left side of his face: the champion looked stunned when the fight was finished, just as he looked stunned a dozen times during the action. “I need a long, hard break,” Fury said. He also praised Ngannou and was, thankfully, respectful in victory. There was a sense of true bewilderment in the packed ring at the end – I know, I was in the mix. “I have told him to go away, take a break and to not even think about boxing,” added Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter. It is clearly what Fury needs. A decision on the date of the Fury vs Usyk fight will be made in the next week or two; it will be in Saudi before the end of March. It will happen, but Ngannou has pushed it back and also put himself in prime position to fight the winner. In the ring, Ngannou was magnificent and controlled and never once flustered by anything that Fury did. The smart thinking before the first bell was that even a slow, heavy and unmotivated Fury would simply know too much for a man having his very first boxing match. Ngannou, who has lost three of his 20 fights on the mixed martial arts circuit, stuck to boxing’s absolute basics and Fury was unable to solve any of the problems that his novice opponent posed. Sure, it was a great performance from the Cameroonian-French fighter, but Fury was very poor. In round three, Fury was caught with a looping left hook and sent tumbling, dazed and embarrassed to the canvas. It was not a fluke punch or a wild swing; Ngannou was in charge of the pace and he was picking his punches with care. Fury was ragged and often held with a desperation that was hard to believe. Ngannou kept the pressure on for the entire 10 rounds and Fury never managed to take full control of the fight. Fury never hurt Ngannou, he never once made Ngannou look like a novice. It was hard to watch at times and difficult to absorb what was happening; Fury clearly had no idea how to deal with the man he had deeply underestimated. There must be a full inquest inside the swollen Fury team. In the second half of the fight, as Ngannou slowed, Fury had some success with a flicking jab, but he was still quick to hold. Ngannou ignored the big rights that connected with his chin and head. The later rounds were closer, slower and three or four could have gone to either man. Fury was having his 35th fight, he is generally acknowledged as the best heavyweight of his generation, and some have even claimed he is one of the top five heavyweights in history. However, in the ring against Ngannou, there were very few recognisable parts of any fighting version of Fury the world heavyweight champion; he fought like a novice and often looked like he was uncomfortable under pressure. And Ngannou did put him under pressure. At the final bell, there were no great celebrations from either man, no mad scrambles to raise a fighter high on shoulders. They were both exhausted, their teams drained. It was a split decision; one vote of 95-94 for Ngannou and a 96-93 and 95-94 for Fury. There was relief, not joy on Fury’s face at the end. Ngannou just shrugged. He had been a gentleman all week. “I came up short today,” Ngannou said. “I will fight on. I will get better.” He never once complained that he had been robbed. In the ring at the end, there was a stare-off between Fury and Usyk, but it never looked like either man was committed to the ceremony. Fury had a bad night, Ngannou the finest of his fighting career; Fury will never be that bad again and hopefully, at some point next year, Ngannou and Fury will do it all again. It was not a circus fight, but it was a carnival in Saudi Arabia. Read More Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk date in doubt as Francis Ngannou result changes plan Tyson Fury hints at next steps after Francis Ngannou victory Hearn makes bold Fury vs Joshua prediction after Ngannou win Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou punch stats reveal surprise after split-decision Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk confirm date for heavyweight unification fight Tyson Fury survives knockdown to beat Francis Ngannou by controversial decision

The key takeaways from Real Madrid's La Liga victory over Barcelona in El Clasico, including Jude Bellingham's influence, Gavi's excellence and Vinicius Junior's understandable petulance.

Eddie Hearn claimed Tyson Fury’s performance against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou showed that Anthony Joshua would “knock Fury out inside six rounds” if the British heavyweight rivals were to ever meet in the ring. Fury survived a knockdown and avoided the first loss of his professional career when he was named a split-decision winner against Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou, was making his boxing debut yet outfought Fury for much of the bout, as a stunned audience looked on. The 37-year-old former UFC champion was a massive underdog but produced a superb performance with immense discipline and aggression, and many figures in the world of boxing declared that the “Predator” had been denied a rightful win. After the fight, Oleksandr Usyk entered the ring to face off with Fury, whom he is contracted to fight next. Ukrainian Usyk, unbeaten like Fury, holds the unified heavyweight boxing titles. The pair have been rumoured to clash in Riyadh on 23 December, though Fury and his promoter Frank Warren played coy after the fight with Ngannou. But Hearn, who promotes Joshua, believes that is not the fight the boxing world wants to see after Fury’s performance against Ngannou. “I’m absolutely lost for words,” the Matchroom boss said. “I mean Francis Ngannou has never boxed before. Fair play to him, he didn’t look overly impressive, but Tyson Fury looked like he’s never laced up a pair of gloves before. “Got dropped in the third round, never threw a punch. Ngannou never threw a punch after. I thought Ngannou won by two rounds. The boxing world has gone mad. “Forget Fury vs Usyk - no one is interested. Just give us Fury vs AH. AJ will knock Tyson Fury out inside six rounds. Make the fight or we will never get it. “Or, rematch Ngannou, because the guy deserves it. I still don’t know what Tyson Fury was doing.” Fury said afterwards that he was rusty on what was his first fight in 10 months but declared it to be a “perfect” night ahead of his heavyweight showdown with Usyk. “That definitely wasn’t in the script,” said Fury. “[Ngannou] is a lot better of a boxer than we thought he’d be. He’s a very awkward man, and he’s a good puncher, and I respect him a lot. He was very awkward, he wasn’t coming forward; he was waiting for me to throw my punches then looking to counter. “[The knockdown] is a part of boxing. I got caught behind the head. I got up and it was alright; I got back to my boxing. “I don’t know how close [the fight] was, but I got the win and that’s what it is. I’ve been out of the ring a long time again. You can see it in here – ring rust, everything. No excuses, though. He’s cut me across the eye there. It was a good, rough fight. Perfect.” Read More Jack Catterall likely to face Josh Taylor rematch in Glasgow or Manchester Hearn predicts Fury vs Joshua prize money Fury vs Ngannou LIVE: Boxing fight result and reaction Fury vs Ngannou LIVE: Boxing fight result and reaction Tyson Fury embarrassed by Francis Ngannou and the punch that changed boxing Tyson Fury hints at next steps after Francis Ngannou victory

Turn a $10 bet into $200 in bonus bets instantly with this new-user offer at BetMGM. Read more to learn how you can access your bonus bets in minutes today.

Tyson Fury survived a knockdown and went on to beat Francis Ngannou in a controversial decision on Saturday night, avoiding a major upset. WBC heavyweight champion Fury squared off with Ngannou – a mixed martial artist and ex-UFC champion – in a professional boxing match in Saudi Arabia, with the Cameroonian stunning the Briton in Round 3 with a knockdown, clipping him on the top of the head with a fine left hook. Ngannou, 37, was making his boxing debut yet outfought Fury, 35, for much of the bout, as a stunned audience looked on in Riyadh. However, Fury avoided the first loss of his professional career when he was named a split-decision winner – 94-95, 96-93, 95-94. Ngannou was a massive underdog in the main event in Riyadh but produced a superb performance with immense discipline and aggression, and many figures in the world of boxing declared that the “Predator” had been denied a rightful win. After the fight, Oleksandr Usyk entered the ring to face off with Fury, whom he is contracted to fight next. Ukrainian Usyk, unbeaten like Fury, holds the unified heavyweight boxing titles. The pair have been rumoured to clash in Riyadh on 23 December, though Fury and his promoter Frank Warren played coy after the fight with Ngannou. “That definitely wasn’t in the script,” said Fury. “[Ngannou] is a lot better of a boxer than we thought he’d be. He’s a very awkward man, and he’s a good puncher, and I respect him a lot. He was very awkward, he wasn’t coming forward; he was waiting for me to throw my punches then looking to counter. “[The knockdown] is a part of boxing. I got caught behind the head. I got up and it was alright; I got back to my boxing. “I don’t know how close [the fight] was, but I got the win and that’s what it is. I’ve been out the ring a long time again. You can see it in here – ring rust, everything. No excuses, though. He’s cut me across the eye there. It was a good, rough fight. Perfect.” Usyk, 36, then said: “Let’s go. I’m going to be fighting him, amazing. It’s a big fight, the whole world wants this fight. We’re back in this ring, 23 December, thank you very much, I go to sleep.” Fury said: “It’s been going on a long time, let’s do the fight – over here, for all the belts, the undisputed title of the world. Listen, it’s not up to me; we’d go now. These guys will sort it out, it’ll be my next fight guaranteed.” But Warren added: “I don’t think the date will be announced just yet. This fight is on. Both fighters want it. Tyson’s got a cut there. We’ll see how it heals. “It’s the biggest fight in boxing. Everybody wants to see it. They’ll see it in Saudi, it’ll break all box-office records.” Read More Fury vs Ngannou prize money: How much are fighters earning tonight? Cristiano Ronaldo ‘punches’ Tyson Fury as pair joke ahead of Francis Ngannou fight David Adeleye sparks outrage after punching referee on Fury v Ngannou undercard Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk confirm date for heavyweight unification fight David Adeleye punches referee on Fury v Ngannou undercard Fury vs Ngannou stream fails as fans left with screeching sound

Tyson Fury has vowed to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the chance to become the undisputed king of heavyweight boxing as the Ukrainian confirmed their meeting on 23 December in Saudi Arabia. Usyk was ringside for Fury’s unconvincing split-decision victory over ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in Riyadh on Saturday night. MMA star Ngannou shockingly went the distance in his boxing debut, even knocking down reigning WBC heavyweight champion Fury at one point, but Fury remained undefeated. Two judges gave Fury the fight by scores of 96-93 and 95-94, and the other judge favoured Ngannou 95-94. Fury’s championship belt was never on the line in this bout, though it counts as an official fight. Good thing for Fury, because Ngannou showed early in the scheduled 10-round fight that he wasn’t going anywhere. Afterwards Usyk, who owns the other three global heavyweight belts, turned attention to their showdown, saying: “It’s a big fight. The whole world wants this fight. We’re back in this ring, 23 December, thank you very much, I go to sleep.” Fury said: “It’s been going on a long time, let’s do the fight, over here, for all the belts, the undisputed title of the world. Listen, it’s not up to me, we’d go now. These guys will sort it out, it’ll be my next fight guaranteed.” Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said: “I don’t think the date will be announced just yet. This fight is on. Both fighters want it. Tyson’s got a cut there. We’ll see how it heals. It’s the biggest fight in boxing. Everybody wants to see it. They’ll see it in Saudi, it’ll break all box office records.” Fury had previously criticised the timing of an initial announcement of his fight with Usyk, which came out during his preparations for Ngannou. “It wasn’t my choice,” the Briton, 35, said on The MMA Hour on Wednesday 25 October. “I would never in a million years do that, but the people who are putting these fights on, who are paying the money, they’re in control. They’re the promoters of the event. “So, the paymaster does what the paymaster wants, basically. But if it was up to me, I would have never, ever, ever done that, ever. Because I never count chickens before they hatch, ever [...] They should never announce fights before the first one happens, because that’s how people get knocked out. “But I’m not even looking at the next fight. I’m only concentrating on Francis. If it means breaking these two hands and getting a cut right through [my eyebrow] to win, I will do it. Don’t worry about that. Nothing else matters, only Saturday night. “I wasn’t happy at first, for them to announce it, but there was a lot going on in the background. For me, I don’t concentrate on any other fight other than Saturday night. What happens in the future stays in the future. “I’m living for today and this moment. My moment now is to fight Francis for the ‘baddest man on the planet’ title, and when I’ve won that, only after I’ve won that, I won’t even think about my next [fight] until I’ve had a week off and spent some time with my family. I’ve been in camp 12 weeks.” Read More Tyson Fury survives knockdown to beat Francis Ngannou by controversial decision David Adeleye punches referee on Fury v Ngannou undercard Fury vs Ngannou stream fails as fans left with screeching sound Amir Khan gifts Eminem luxury watch before clashing with fan over gesture Cristiano Ronaldo ‘punches’ Tyson Fury as pair joke ahead of Francis Ngannou fight How much money are Fury and Ngannou earning for fight tonight?

The Arizona Diamondbacks bounced back in a big way on Saturday night to even up the 2023 World Series with the Texas Rangers

By Liz Lee BEIJING Runners undeterred by thick smog engulfing the Chinese capital ran the Beijing Marathon maskless

Fresh off a wave of positive rule changes, MLB is considering reducing the pitcher limit from 13 to 12, according to Rob Manfred.

Projecting the Top 25 College Football Playoff rankings that will be released on Tuesday after Week 9 to see which teams will be ranked by the CFP Selection Committee.

The Texas Rangers followed up their dramatic Game 1 victory with a flat performance in Game 2 as the lineup went limp and pitching left something to be desired.