Francis Ngannou won’t appeal Tyson Fury loss, prioritizes rematch

Francis Ngannou wasn’t happy with the judging in Saudi Arabia, but he’s not planning to make a formal complaint.

The former UFC champion told TMZ that he won’t be appealing his loss to heavyweight boxing king Tyson Fury after their fight in Riyadh this past Saturday. In his boxing debut, Ngannou floored Fury in the third round and battled him in a competitive fight before eventually losing a narrow split decision.

Though Ngannou has been vocal about his displeasure with the scorecards, he doubts that an appeal would be successful.

“Who am I gonna appeal to? [The British Boxing Commission]?” Ngannou asked. “I have no chance. I think that’s just another way of humiliation.”

Ngannou’s performance in his first-ever boxing match was anything but embarrassing as he pushed the lineal heavyweight champion to the limit. Fans, fighters, and the media gushed over Ngannou nearly toppling Fury while making a sizeable payday in the process.

Currently signed to the PFL, it’s unclear whether Ngannou will return to MMA, the field where he previously reigned as the UFC’s heavyweight champion, or continue boxing. As of now, he is leaning towards wanting another shot at Fury.

“The rematch is what I want next the most,” Ngannou said. “As for right now I feel like there is a lot of options for me, but I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first.”

Fury is supposedly set to face Oleksandr Usyk next in a bout that would unify their respective boxing titles. The two were originally announced to fight in December, but in the aftermath of a near-defeat to Ngannou, it’s unclear when Fury and Usyk will actually clash.

Ngannou is willing to wait for his rematch if the Fury-Usyk hits yet another snag.

“My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury,” Ngannou said. “If Usyk can step out and let me fight Fury, I’ll fight Fury, then I’ll let them do whatever they do. I’ll go back, maybe do some MMA fight and come back with some people in boxing.

“I’m planning to fight potentially twice next year, [starting] maybe February or March.”