i didn’t see a boxing thread/didn’t want to start a new one just for this. plus ngannou is crossing over so i figured this will be the best place to post about it but… holy shit! did anyone see it going that way??! i obviously always knew ngannou had a “puncher’s chance” in this, especially being the man with the hardest recorded punch of all time. i thought if anything he would have one big moment of maybe landing a counter & stunning fury for a second. other than that i thought he would just get out-worked/pointed throughout the entire fight. maybe win a round or 2 just barely. he looked absolutely sensational in there tonight, especially for someone who has never boxed whose going up against the heavyweight champ of the world. to put on that performance is absolutely insane. i think he arguably could’ve won, especially with that 10-8. the knockdown was beautiful. that went far and beyond anyone’s expectations.
with that said, what do you all think is the move? should he just stay in boxing, go back to pfl and book a big fight or try to balance the 2? if i was dana i’m doing whatever i can to get him back into the ufc. i would apologize immensely to francis & let the grudge go, pay off the pfl no matter what it takes, offer francis whatever he asks for and more, all the while letting jon jones heal & then book that fight. after tonight i think that fight could far surpass any ppv they could do at this point other than a conor return. it might even be up there close to that/past conor events. that was remarkable. francis is the biggest inspiration in combat sports right now by miles.
my brother... I have so many thoughts about this whole situation and mma/ pro boxing crossovers as a whole....
the way I see it, these, "mma star vs. celeb/ pro boxer," matches are basically the new age celeb boxing. there's a ton of money behind both parties in their respective fields, and NOW FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY they're going to clash. it's a cash grab. these boxing stars would never ever ever in a million years step into a cage with these dudes who do mma, BUT these mma guys who have been making shit for 10+ years would 100% step in a boxing ring.
boxing has a very long and storied history when it comes to the promoters, the money behind it, and the judging and talent that's being pushed. it is a sport that is notorious for bad judging and deep, deep organized crime ties and gambling. when I see a fight like this being promoted so hard; so many different media companies are invested, hell, they're throwing this fight in a country known for being one of the richest countries in the world... celebrities are speckled about the sporting event... I look at it as what it is, a spectacle.
this was a celeb boxing match... so are the fights that all of the paul brothers do. its a farce. there is so much money behind all these fights and fighters, so much gambling involved. think about this...
you could bet on fury vs. ngannou... the odds at the time of the match were something like fury - 1400 to ngannou +750.
those are INSANE odds for a professional sport event... you don't think the powers-that-be who are throwing this professional fight are going to extort that?
idk dude, I've watched thousands upon thousands of hours of combat sports and something just seems off about this fight.... I noticed so many moments where Francis had Fury against the ropes and the right hand was open, multiple times! I even got a text from my brother saying that he thought Francis was holding back... there are so many moments in that fight that don't make sense if you know fighting and what to look for. I mean, they took the whole 10th round off! both of them, in a, "closely contested fight," took the 10th round off and danced around each other.
I am a combat sports fan, but when it comes to these high-profile professional boxing matches, I have very little faith that they are legitimate contests in sport.