Tyson Fury clinched a split decision victory over Francis Ngannou according to the scorecards.
Still, his lackluster display, notably accentuated by a knockdown in Round 3, led the panelists to lower his ranking by four positions to No. 10 in the latest pound-for-pound rankings by ESPN.
The match between Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Ngannou (0-1 in boxing) occurred in Saudi Arabia, but it didn’t involve Fury’s WBC world title.
His forthcoming fight against Oleksandr Usyk, aimed at unifying all four major heavyweight titles on December 23, has been rescheduled to February due to minor cuts Fury sustained on his forehead and around his left eye.
Joe Tessitore, an ESPN boxing commentator, expressed disappointment in Fury’s recent display, remarking, “Tyson Fury exhibited his weakest form in his recent championship streak against an inexperienced yet formidable opponent in Francis Ngannou. This iteration of Fury doesn’t justify a spot in the P4P list.”
Boxing trainer and commentator Teddy Atlas agreed, linking Fury’s drop in rank to his lack of readiness. “Considering Fury’s mental unpreparedness and underestimation of his opponent, alongside Ngannou’s unforeseen strength, the night soured. However, technical deficiencies were revealed, and for a fair evaluation, his performance must be taken into account.”
Transnational Boxing Rankings – September 2023: Weekly Rankings 4 September 2023 * = new entry Heavyweight Champion: Oleksandr Usyk Tyson Fury Deontay Wilder Anthony Joshua Andy Ruiz Jr. Zhilei Zhang Joe Joyce Dillian… #boxing #boxingnews #boxingheads https://t.co/vfVP8rCQH3 pic.twitter.com/3CuBpdfw1q
— Ringnews24 🥊 (@ringnews24) September 5, 2023
The panel, consisting of multiple boxing experts, collectively presents their viewpoints and votes on the subject.
Kindly note that the data is up-to-date as of November 8th
| Rank | Fighter | Previous Ranking | Record | Division | Last Fight | Next Fight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TERENCE CRAWFORD | No. 1 | 40-0, 31 KOs | Welterweight (undisputed) | W (TKO9) vs. Errol Spence Jr., July 29 | TBA |
| 2 | NAOYA INOUE | No. 2 | 25-0, 22 KOs | Junior featherweight (unified) | W (TKO8) vs. Stephen Fulton, July 25 | Dec. 26 vs. Marlon Tapales |
| 3 | OLEKSANDR USYK | No. 3 | 21-0, 14 KOs | Heavyweight (unified) | W (TKO9) vs. Daniel Dubois, Aug. 26 | TBA vs. Tyson Fury |
| 4 | CANELO ALVAREZ | No. 4 | 60-2-2, 39 KOs | Super middleweight (undisputed) | W (UD12) vs. Jermell Charlo, Sept. 30 | TBA |
| 5 | DMITRY BIVOL | No. 5 | 21-0, 11 KOs | Light heavyweight (champion) | W (UD12) vs. Gilberto Ramirez, Nov. 5 | TBA |
| 6 | ARTUR BETERBIEV | No. 7 | 19-0, 19 KOs | Light heavyweight (unified) | W (TKO8) vs. Anthony Yarde, Jan. 28 | Jan. 13 vs. Callum Smith |
| 7 | DEVIN HANEY | No. 8 | 30-0, 15 KOs | Lightweight (undisputed) | W (UD12) vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko, May 20 | Dec. 9 vs. Regis Prograis |
| 8 | SHAKUR STEVENSON | No. 9 | 20-0, 10 KOs | Lightweight | W (TKO6) vs. Shuichiro Yoshino, April 8 | Nov. 16 vs. Edwin De Los Santos |
| 9 | GERVONTA DAVIS | No. 10 | 29-0, 27 KOs | Lightweight | W (KO7) vs. Ryan Garcia, April 22 | TBA |
| 10 | TYSON FURY | No. 6 | 34-0-1, 24 KOs | Heavyweight (champion) | W (SD10) vs. Francis Ngannou, Oct. 28 | TBA vs. Oleksandr Usyk |
The ranking system operates on a points-based approach, attributing 10 points to a first-place vote, nine points to the second place, and decreasing accordingly. In the event of a tie, preference is granted to the fighter with a higher overall ranking, followed by the one with more votes at that specific rank.
Moreover, acknowledgment was extended to the following individuals through received votes: Teofimo Lopez Jr. (18), Vasiliy Lomachenko (6), Errol Spence Jr. (5), Emanuel Navarrete (2), Jaron Ennis (1), David Benavidez (1).
Here’s the panelists’ voting breakdown
| Atlas | Bradley | Coppinger | Tessitore | Parkinson | Raskin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Crawford | 1. Crawford | 1. Crawford | 1. Crawford | 1. Crawford | 1. Crawford |
| 2. Inoue | 2. Inoue | 2. Inoue | 2. Inoue | 2. Inoue | 2. Inoue |
| 3. Usyk | 3. Usyk | 3. Usyk | 3. Usyk | 3. Alvarez | 3. Bivol |
| 4. Davis | 4. Bivol | 4. Bivol | 4. Beterbiev | 4. Usyk | 4. Alvarez |
| 5. Lomachenko | 5. Beterbiev | 5. Alvarez | 5. Bivol | 5. Beterbiev | 5. Usyk |
| 6. Beterbiev | 6. Alvarez | 6. Haney | 6. Stevenson | 6. Bivol | 6. Stevenson |
| 7. Alvarez | 7. Haney | 7. Stevenson | 7. Alvarez | 7. Davis | 7. Davis |
| 8. Fury | 8. Stevenson | 8. Beterbiev | 8. Haney | 8. Haney | 8. Beterbiev |
| 9. Haney | 9. Lopez | 9. Fury | 9. Lopez | 9. Fury | 9. Lopez |
| 10. Ennis | 10. Davis | 10. Davis | 10. Davis | 10. Stevenson | 10. Benavidez |
Survey of ESPN Experts
| Rank | Fighter | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crawford | 19, Inoue: 1 |
| 2 | Inoue | 18, Crawford: 1, Alvarez: 1 |
| 3 | Usyk | 12, Alvarez: 5, Inoue: 1, Bivol: 1, Stevenson: 1 |
| 4 | Bivol | 7, Alvarez: 5, Usyk: 4, Beterbiev: 1, Haney: 1, Davis: 1, Fury: 1 |
| 5 | Bivol | 6, Beterbiev: 4, Usyk: 3, Alvarez: 3, Stevenson: 2, Davis: 1, Lomachenko: 1 |
| 6 | Beterbiev | 6, Haney: 5, Fury: 3, Alvarez: 2, Stevenson: 2, Bivol: 1, Davis: 1 |
| 7 | Haney | 5, Davis: 5, Alvarez: 2, Bivol: 2, Fury: 2, Lopez: 2, Beterbiev: 1, Stevenson: 1 |
| 8 | Haney | 6, Beterbiev: 5, Stevenson: 4, Fury: 3, Usyk: 1, Davis: 1 |
| 9 | Stevenson | 5, Fury: 4, Lopez: 3, Beterbiev: 2, Davis: 2, Alvarez: 1, Bivol: 1, Haney: 1, Spence: 1 |
| 10 | Davis | 6, Lopez: 4, Spence: 3, Stevenson: 2, Navarrete: 2, Haney: 1, Ennis: 1, Benavidez: 1 |
ALSO READ:
- Fury vs. Usyk bout on DAZN USA’s pay-per-view is set at $69.99
- Fury vs. Usyk stands as the top priority in the heavyweight division
- Joshua Retirement Speculation Post-Parker: Wilder’s Reaction
