"Looked like he’d never laced up a pair of gloves" - Tyson Fury gets called out by the boxing community after lackluster show against Francis Ngannou

Tyson Fury’s lackluster performance against Francis Ngannou has enraged and disappointed his fellow boxers. Being a lineal heavyweight champion is the pinnacle of competitive achievements in the world of boxing. However, Fury’s hard-fought split decision win over the former UFC champion has left a bitter taste in the mouth of fellow boxers.

‘The Gypsy King’ went into the ten-round professional boxing contest against Francis Ngannou as a massive favorite given his experience and solid resume. While most experts predicted Tyson Fury to pick the Cameroonian apart with superior boxing, Ngannou held his own and put up one of the toughest fights of Fury’s storied career.

Francis Ngannou scored the only knockdown of the fight and maintained the momentum over the course of ten rounds. However, Fury did enough to get his hands raised via split decision (94-95, 96-94 and 95-94).

But fellow boxers were not impressed with his underwhelming performance. While some of them bluntly pointed out the controversial nature of the win, others gave positive criticism that may help Tyson Fury assess his performance in a more realistic manner.

Here are some of the boxers’ reactions to the fight:

Billy Joe Saunders

"Too many yes men in camp not switched on from word go. But he be switched for the Ukrainian." [via Instagram]

Eddie Hearn

"I’m absolutely lost for words. Fury looked like he’d never laced up a pair of gloves before. I thought Ngannou won by two rounds… Forget Fury vs Usyk, no-one’s interested, just give us Fury vs Anthony Joshua. AJ will knock Fury out inside six rounds." [via Matchroom Boxing]

Chris Eubank Jr.

"Watching from ringside I thought Ngannou won the fight. It was close but he was the aggressor, landed heavier shots & scored a knockdown. (Tyson) Fury deserved to lose after having so much trouble against a man who has never boxed before… too much time filming Netflix specials not enough time in the gym I’m guessing. Unlucky Francis." [via Twitter]

Lennox Lewis

"The lion can’t let the shark come into the jungle and nearly beat him. Ngannou’s stock is up. Tyson Fury’s stock is down in a luckluster win for Fury." [via Twitter]

"Just by looking at those love handles, i thought to myself, no way Tyson Fury had a full camp… I’m thinking he maybe got in 4-6 weeks… This definitely wasn’t same Fury who beat Wilder." [via Twitter]

Teddy Atlas

"Ngannou surprised many, including Fury with good technique and a controlled approach. And yes, ‘Punchers are born not made!’" [via Twitter]

Elle Brooke

"If that was Anthony Joshua, he’d be banished from the boxing community for good." [via Twitter]

Ebanie Bridges

"I don’t know why they are so shocked Ngannou can take a punch…. MMA fighters take shin kicks elbows and Knees to the head…. Like bone on bone lol." [via Twitter]

Jake Paul

"MMA fighters are easy boxing work??? Shut the f*** up." [via Twitter]

Logan Paul

"Really sucks to see Ngannou get blatantly robbed like that… boxing needs a more objective system in place for scoring. The subjectivity & inherent bias of hand-picked judges is ruining the credibility of the sport." [via Twitter]

KSI

"Congrats Ngannou, you’re the people’s champ." [via Twitter]

Tyson Fury's title unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk has been long overdue. The duo faced off in the ring after the Francis Ngannou fight concluded and verbally agreed to a December 23 showdown. However, it remains to be seen if Tyson Fury will be medically cleared to compete in eight weeks, considering the knockdown he suffered against Ngannou.