Tyson Fury's Reputation in Jeopardy After Ngannou Showdown

Tyson Fury's flawless record remains intact, but his reputation took a severe hit after a tough encounter with Francis Ngannou. Fury faced his first-ever loss when he was knocked down by Ngannou, and the controversial split decision victory has left many questioning his pound-for-pound king status.

Tyson Fury may have kept his unbeaten record intact, but he has left his 10-round bout with Francis Ngannou with his reputation in tatters. The Englishman suffered the only knockdown of the fight, as Ngannou, in his first-ever boxing match, took it right up to the world heavyweight champion. In the end, the judges called a controversial split decision in Fury's favor, leaving fans and experts scratching their heads.

Fury faced off with Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk in the ring immediately after the Ngannou fight, with the two heavyweights set to face each other in the coming months. However, this meeting has now lost its luster, according to boxing experts.

"Clear the ring out, we're going to go right now," Fury said to Usyk, signaling their impending clash. However, pundits and fans were unimpressed with Fury's performance against Ngannou.

"No one's going to look at him now and think he's the pound-for-pound king," said Todd Grisham, a DAZN pundit.

Eddie Hearn, a leading boxing promoter, echoed these sentiments, claiming "no one's interested" in seeing Fury take on Usyk.

"I'm absolutely lost for words," Hearn said. "I mean, Francis Ngannou has never boxed before. Fair play to him. I didn't think he was overly impressive, but Tyson Fury looked like he's never laced up a pair of gloves before."

Fury's unexpected knockdown and overall underwhelming performance left fans and experts questioning his abilities. "He got dropped ... and then never threw a punch, and Ngannou never threw a punch after. I thought Ngannou won by two rounds," Hearn said.

"Forget Fury-Usyk, no one's interested. Just give us Fury against AJ (Anthony Joshua). AJ will knock Tyson Fury out inside six rounds. Make the fight, otherwise we'll never get it. Or rematch Ngannou because the guy just deserves to have had one of the greatest wins."

Lou DiBella, a legendary promoter, was equally baffled by Fury's performance. "You couldn't have tried harder to make Ngannou look great if you're Fury," he commented.

Former WBO super featherweight champion Barry Jones expressed his disappointment in Fury's performance. "That tonight was awful, from start to finish," he said. "He (Fury) looked tentative, afraid at times and looked like a guy who ran out of ideas. I never thought I would say that about Tyson Fury, that he ran out of ideas against a novice, but that's a fact."

Despite maintaining his undefeated record, Tyson Fury's latest fight left many questioning his prowess and raised doubts about the anticipated bout against Oleksandr Usyk. The heavyweight champion, who had seemed unbeatable, suffered a knockdown and delivered an uninspiring performance against Francis Ngannou, who was making his boxing debut. Fury's unconvincing victory has raised concerns about his readiness for future challenges.

Tyson Fury retained his unbeaten record but struggled against Francis Ngannou, suffering a knockdown and a controversial split decision victory. This lackluster performance has diminished Fury's reputation as the pound-for-pound king and cast doubt on his upcoming bout with Oleksandr Usyk.