Francis Ngannou (right)(image credit Top Rank Boxing / Twitter)

By FCF Staff

Francis Ngannou may have more big paydays ahead via boxing, as the former UFC heavyweight stunned the boxing world today by narrowly losing to Tyson Fury.

Ngannou, who was making his pro-boxing debut and was a massive underdog heading into today’s fight, knocked Fury down early into the contest. The decorated boxer managed to recover, however, and was ultimately awarded the fight by two of the judges via scores of 96-93 and 95-94. The other judge scored the fight 95-94 for Ngannou.

The bout took place in Saudi Arabia.

Fury was expected to fight fellow heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk on December 23rd. But, due to what transpired today in the bout, it’s unclear if the fight will proceed as scheduled.