Former two-time unified heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has remarked that he believes Francis Ngannou won “The Battle of the Baddest” versus his longtime rival Tyson Fury.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Joshua ripped Fury for his lackluster performance, calling ‘The Gypsy King’ a “fat slob” in the process:
“I think Ngannou won – but the refs are there for a reason. They score it how they score it, I’m just an observer. Fury won, but I think from a fan’s point of view that Ngannou won…
“Bodybuilders up, dossers down. He just looked like a fat slob that can’t fight. He said bodybuilders can’t fight, but he got smacked up by one [Ngannou]… Good luck to him, but he’s gotta stop running his mouth because it does come back and bite you.”
Fury’s victory over Ngannou was highly contentious, with many fans and pundits giving “The Predator” the moral victory, if not scoring the fight for him entirely. Three out of 10 media members scored the bout for Ngannou, and Ngannou even won the fight on one judge’s scorecard – a considerable upset considering Ngannou’s +750 opening odds (to win outright, +5000 for a KO).
It’s fair to say the bout lowered Fury’s stock as much as it elevated Ngannou’s, and because of this “The Gypsy King” is open to scrutiny from his peers such as Joshua.
Joshua’s next fight takes place in Saudi Arabia, the Brit squares off against Otto Wallin on the “Day of Reckoning” card as part of the Riyadh Season of sportswashing events.
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