Francis Ngannou gave me one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years'- Tyson Fury admits

WBC heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson Fury has admitted his surprise at the skills of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, after he beat him by a controversial split decision on Sunday morning, October 29.

"He's given me one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years' “That definitely wasn’t in the script.” Fury said.

“He’s one hell of a fighter. He’s strong, a big puncher, and a lot better as a boxer than we thought he would ever be.”

Tyson Fury survived a third-round knockdown and avoided a massive upset with a split-decision victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a ten-round heavyweight main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

When asked if anything surprised him about Ngannou’s approach, Fury replied;

“He’s a very awkward man, and he’s a good puncher. I respect him a lot, before the fight and afterward.

“He wasn’t coming forward. He was just standing back waiting for me to land my punches and then trying to counter. He’s a good fighter. He’s given me probably one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years.”

Fury may have won Ngannou -- who made his professional boxing debut -- but the Cameroonian ended up being the real winner by shocking the world with his performance.