31 December 2023 , 12:32
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Francis Ngannou has been told by one of Tyson Fury's co-promoters that he deserves a rematch against the heavyweight champion.
Former UFC champion Ngannou put on a jaw-dropping performance against Fury in their crossover fight two months ago. Fury was expected to cruise past Ngannou to set up an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk before the end of the year, but he needed to pick himself up off the canvas after being dropped by Ngannou and only won by a single point on the judges' scorecards.
The decision win for Fury was heavily criticised by fans, with many feeling that Ngannou should have won the fight. Top Rank president Todd DuBoef was impressed by Ngannou as he told Sky Sports: "That's an earned ability to get the rematch. He earned that. His performance dictated that, people think 'Woah, he has a chance. We never thought he had a chance' and in that situation I think absolutely.
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"I think Tyson is regretful. He blamed himself. He thought he had an off night. He said: 'I took it lightly. It was all on me.' Didn't point fingers, which was good.
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"Ngannou outperformed anybody's expectation and as a result of that you have all the components to say, 'hey, I want to see this again,' and that creates and warrants a rematch."
Fury is looking to become an undisputed champion when he fights heavyweight rival Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 in Saudi Arabia. The fight has a two-way rematch clause meaning both men will be locked up in contracts until the end of 2024 and DuBoef would like to see Fury face Ngannou again regardless of how his fights with Usyk play out.
"I'm not a big rematch fan. I just think that it kind of takes the prize out of the prizefight. The use of rematch clause is a new phenomenon that's come in the last probably decade and a half. So I'm not a big rematch fan but you have to understand that there are rematch clauses in fights and it's more of the norm today," he added.
"I think it's a special moment in February when we get all the heavyweight titles together. I think that we're talking about two world class heavyweights that will hopefully put on an incredible performance and if it's that good of a fight then it warrants a rematch.
"It shouldn't be something that should be dictated prior to seeing what the first fight is. Let's hope that they put on such a great fight that it warrants a rematch."