Ngannou is a rated heavyweight boxer with just one professional bout under his belt and no victories.
Francis Ngannou, the former heavyweight champion of the UFC, is now a rated boxer. Ngannou, who on October 28 almost pulled off the biggest upset in sports history against Tyson Fury, is ranked No. 10 by the World Boxing Council.
Ngannou’s ranking was revealed by the WBC on Wednesday at their 2023 meeting. The organisation rarely chooses to rate a boxer who has never won a match in the professional ranks. Because of his newfound eligibility to contend for the WBC heavyweight championship against either Fury or Oleksandr Usyk following their anticipated match for undisputed status, Ngannou’s ranking is noteworthy.
The remaining nine athletes are as follows, with Fury leading the pack as the champion:
WBC top 10 heavyweight rankings
- Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs)
- Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs)
- Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs)
- Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs)
- Efe Ajagba (19-1, 14 KOs)
- Jared Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs)
- Martin Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs)
- Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs)
- Otto Wallin (26-1-1, 14 KOs)
- Francis Ngannou (0-1)
Francis Ngannou did an outstanding job against the WBC Heavyweight Champion and the WBC Board of Governors has agreed to rank him as No. 10 in the Heavyweight division.@francisngannou #wbcboxing #wbcuzbekistan23 pic.twitter.com/mXjhiRS9Vt
— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) November 15, 2023
It was generally anticipated that Fury (34-0-1) would decisively outclass Ngannou (0-1) in a non-title crossover bout that emphasised show over technique. However, Ngannou was shockingly competitive from bell to bell and stopped Fury in Round 3. After ten rounds and a split decision, Ngannou was ultimately defeated.
The thrilling performance Ngannou gave versus Fury was a welcome diversion from the formulaic storyline of former UFC champions boxing. Floyd Mayweather stopped Tyron Woodley, and Jake Paul stopped Conor McGregor. Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz both lost decisions to Paul after looking great versus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Due to Ngannou’s achievements, boxing and mixed rules matches against competitors like Fury, Usyk, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua have gained more attention.
