The world was in shock when Francis Ngannou faced a controversial loss against Tyson Fury. Many believed that this wasn’t a great look for boxing, since an MMA fighter was able to infiltrate the sport of boxing and get so close to victory against the WBC boxing champion. The entire fight was surreal, and Ngannou looked more like a veteran boxer rather than someone who was making his debut in the sport.
The former UFC sensation had a good understanding of how to maintain the distance inside the squared circle. He stood his ground against Tyson Fury and still put up a really good fight. So, was this fight a bad look for the sport? This was answered by the rising young interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez in his recent interview.
David Benavidez gives reason for Francis Ngannou’s impeccable performance
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In a recent interview with FightHype.com, the reporter asked David Benavidez about his thoughts on the Fury vs. Ngannou fight. He also stated that this fight might have left a bad taste in the public’s mouth about boxing, so everybody needs the marquee fight between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez now more than ever.
To this, David Benavidez, at first, took time to remind everybody about the efforts of Mike Tyson behind Ngannou’s success. He said, “It was a great fight, I think a lot of people don’t give Mike Tyson credit because Mike Tyson was the one who trained Ngannou for that.” Well, this was a way to show his gratitude for the man who gave Benavidez his nickname, ‘The Mexican Monster’.
Moreover, Benavidez also addressed the next part of the reporter’s question. He believes that the fight between him and Alvarez is a different one than that of Fury vs. Ngannou.
How Alvarez vs. Benavidez stands different from Fury vs. Ngannou
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David Benavidez believes that his bout with Alvarez cannot be put on the same pedestal as ‘The Battle of the Baddest’. Mainly because of the reason that their fight doesn’t have a surprise element like the great crossover event that happened. He mentioned, “[Francis Ngannou] did good, I mean I don’t feel like that has anything to do with our fight.”
He also asserted that the fans know what to expect from the anticipated fight between him and Canelo Alvarez. He said, “You know as for me and Canelo, it’s a whole different story. I think people already know what they’re expecting, what type of fight is it going to be.”
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This fight could bring the faith of the fans back to the sport, however, there’s another fight lined up before the super middleweight showdown. And that is the contest between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed crown in the heavyweight division. Do you think it’d restore the reputation of boxing again? What are your thoughts about this? Tell us in the comments section.
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