‘Cheap shot’: Tyson Fury’s ‘illegal’ act on Francis Ngannou angers fans after controversial win

Boxing fans are crying foul after a rogue “illegal” act by Tyson Fury went unpunished in his controversial crossover fight.

Fury's questional elbow made heavy contact with Ngannou's head.

Tyson Fury has been accused of throwing an illegal punch in his controversial win over Francis Ngannou in their crossover boxing fight on Sunday.

The boxing champion defeated former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou via split decision (96-93, 95-94, 94-95) after the pair went the full 10 rounds in Saudi Arabia.

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In the end it was Fury who had his hand raised but it was Ngannou who stole the show.

The heavy underdog shocked the world when he sent the champion of the world to the canvas in the third round with a monster overhand left hook.

It was just the seventh time in Fury’s career that he’s been knocked down.

The Brit seemed to switch on afterwards though, relying on his solid jab in an effort to get ahead on the scorecards and do enough to get the win.

But a moment during the sixth round had fans crying foul when they spotted Fury glance Ngannou’s head with his right elbow.

Fury's questional elbow made heavy contact with Ngannou's head.

Ngannou barely flinched at the heavy blow, which went unnoticed by the referee and Fury escaped a penalty.

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo appeared stunned by the elbow as he watched ringside.

Fans couldn’t believe Fury unleashed a rogue elbow that would have looked more at home in a UFC bout instead of a traditional boxing bout.

Elbow from Fury….Ngannou wasn’t even phased pic.twitter.com/OyKv9dgwhy

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 28, 2023

fury threw an illegal elbow and they said “looks clean to me 🤓”

— 🪦🦇 (@DEADMAN_pt3) October 28, 2023

Fury caught Ngannou with an elbow 😳 #FuryNgannoupic.twitter.com/2FZ0kce2me

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) October 28, 2023

Boxing world champion Clarissa Shields wrote on X: “Omg did Fury just throw an elbow!!!! That’s not right!”

Fans weren’t happy with the result either, with many convinced Ngannou was robbed of the victory after securing the knockdown and defying expectations in his first foray into the ring.

NBA superstar LeBron James said: “Exactly why i don’t watch boxing! C’mon man!”

Fury, 35, may only have a handful of fights left him in if his lacklustre display against Ngannou is anything to go by.

His next fight could be a rematch with Ngannou, an all-British showdown against Anthony Joshua or a clash with Oleksandr Usyk, which would be the toughest fight for Fury.

Originally published as ‘Cheap shot’: Tyson Fury’s ‘illegal’ act on Francis Ngannou angers fans after controversial win