At Saudi Arabia’s Freedom Arena today, heavyweight boxing kingpin Oleksandr Usyk put a damper on Tyson Fury’s hopes of reclaiming the glory he lost earlier this year. The Ukranian native successfully defended his unified heavyweight titles after an intense 12-round bout against the British heavyweight, ultimately securing the victory. With this win, Usyk extended his unbeaten record to 23-0, further cementing his place in boxing history.

However, the AI-based system, a new experiment introduced by Saudi supremo Turki Al-Sheikh, generated a 118-112 scorecard, which was even wider than what the three judges scored with 116-112 in favor of the Ukranian. This has naturally become a point of contention and has sparked debate among fans: Is AI a suitable method for judging close fights? Tyson Fury wasted no time dismissing the AI scorecard after the fight. In his post-fight interview, ‘The Gypsy King’ expressed his disdain for the idea of AI judging, stating, “By the review of that, absolutely s***. Here’s one: f*** all the computers, keep the humans going. More jobs for humans, fewer jobs for computers.” Many echoed the British heavyweight’s sentiment.

Meanwhile, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who had openly supported Fury before the fight, remained silent on the AI scorecard controversy until now. In a recent interview with “Pro Boxing Fans” on YouTube, Ngannou joined the growing list of figures who opposed the AI judging system. When asked how he would have scored the fight, ‘The Predator’ said, “I would have scored the fight closer than that. Maybe Usyk could have still won. I mean, at the end of the fight, I wasn’t sure that anybody was a clear winner because it could have gone either way. From my scorecard, it was closer than that.”

With this loss, Fury’s record now stands at 34-2, with both of his defeats coming at the hands of Usyk. After two consecutive setbacks, questions loom over the British heavyweight’s future: will he retire, or will he face off against fighters like Ngannou, who recently made his return to MMA under the PFL banner? ‘The Predator’ has already expressed his desire for a rematch with Fury, stating, “I’m still around…I want a rematch with Fury.”

Despite his lack of boxing experience, Ngannou gave ‘The Gypsy King’ a serious challenge in their first encounter, leaving fans eager to see how a potential rematch would unfold. As the future of both fighters remains uncertain, so does the role of AI in sports judging. Let’s explore what the former UFC heavyweight has to say about the future of AI in sports.

Francis Ngannou’s take on AI usage in sports

Elon Musk once remarked, “Probably the last job that will remain will be writing AI software.” While he wasn’t entirely wrong, as AI has made its mark in fields like scriptwriting and cinematography, it is now making waves in the world of sports. A notable instance of this is Dana White’s recent frustration with the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, particularly with Jon Jones not holding the top spot. In response, White suggested replacing the current P4P panel with AI and even teased a collaboration with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

In a recent Instagram story, White tagged Zuckerberg and wrote, “I have to get rid of these clowns! Let’s get this AI deal done ASAP!” This has led to increased speculation about AI’s role in sports, especially following its introduction in judging a boxing match. This makes fans wonder where else AI might be used.

Despite this growing trend, Francis Ngannou has strongly opposed the use of AI in sports. In a recent interview, ‘The Predator’ expressed that AI is not yet ready for such a role, explaining that it doesn’t understand the nuances of the game. He stated, “I don’t think AI might be intelligent, but AI doesn’t understand the sport properly. It’s a main sport, not a machine sport. AI operates automatically and scores based on data, but I don’t think it has all the specifics or the data needed to score a boxing match today.”

What are your thoughts on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch scorecards? Do you think it’s time to replace the traditional manual scoring system in combat sports with AI? Francis Ngannou feels it’s still in its trial phase and not yet ready to take over. Share your opinion below.