Teddy Atlas had Tyson Fury clearly beating Francis Ngannou, says boxing champ was compromised mentally

Renowned boxing trainer Teddy Atlas firmly supports Tyson Fury‘s victory over Francis Ngannou and sees no room for controversy.

Ngannou gave WBC champion Fury a tough time in their cross-discipline boxing match in Saudi Arabia last Saturday, resulting in a split decision that Atlas disagrees with. The former UFC heavyweight champion managed to knock down Fury in Round 3 and deliver an intense performance for all 10 rounds.

Atlas awarded the rounds to Fury in Rounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10. He scored Round 3 10-8 in favor of Ngannou and gave him Round 8 as well. Round 7 proved challenging for Atlas to score, ultimately resulting in a 10-10 draw. Overall, Atlas believed Fury deserved the win due to his higher activity level.

“My final score: 97-93 for Mr. Fury,” Atlas revealed on his show, “THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas.”  “And as I mentioned in my comments, there was a lot of posturing, feinting, and half jabs. Many rounds could have been more evenly contested, but I’m being honest because I’m stating my beliefs.”

Fury insisted that he did not underestimate Ngannou, although many observers felt he was not at his best. Atlas believes the fight caused an upset because Ngannou exceeded expectations, but he thinks Fury didn’t take his opponent entirely seriously.

“Physically, he did everything right; he was in good shape,” Atlas explained. “Good enough shape. But mentally, he was lacking. He definitely was. I would bet everything on it, and he won’t make excuses. I give him credit for that. I’m not making excuses either. Ngannou deserves full credit, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Tyson Fury was compromised in a way that, as a human being, he believed it would be a fun thing, a money grab.

“He thought it would go the way he wanted. If he wanted to end it, he would end it. If he wanted to play around and do an Ali shuffle, he could do that too. There was nothing to worry about… You can’t assume it’s going to be an easy day because you’ll get screwed.”

For more details about the match, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie