World Boxing Council chiefs will place Francis Ngannou in the latest WBC Rankings list after his defeat to Tyson Fury.
The events unfolding mean Ngannou can challenge for the WBC title in any rematch with Fury.
Mauricio Sulaiman told reporters in Saudi Arabia that the MMA star deserves to be rated after giving Fury kittens in their Riyadh contest.
Ngannou shocked Fury by dropping him to the canvas and pushing him to a split decision. Despite not gaining the result, Sulaiman will recommend that Ngannou be placed in the top fifteen with a pro record of 0-1.
Any fighter wanting a shot at the WBC title needs to be rated in the top fifteen. Fury, as the current champion, can then choose Ngannou for a voluntary defense.
World Boxing Council to sanction Fury vs Ngannou rematch
Therefore, this opens the door for Fury vs Ngannou II being a fully-fledged world title bout and entitles the WBC to subsequent sanctioning fees.
However, it still won’t be that straightforward for Ngannou due to Fury’s contract with Oleksandr Usyk. Fury has signed to face the Ukrainian in an undisputed championship bout.
Ngannou could be treading water for a year, too, as Fury vs Usyk has a two-way rematch clause. Promoter Frank Warren says he will begin actively trying to find Ngannou another fight in the interim.
“He has come out of this a huge star, a hero,” Warren told Boxing News. “He is now in a position to be in massive fights.
“I will have a meeting with him and his people about working together. The rematch could end up being as big as the Usyk fight.
“I will offer him a top-level fight. He is solid, an athlete. He’ll get into the top ten after that. I would give him a shot against anyone in the top ten based on that performance.
“I think he’d beat at least five of them right now. He’d beat Manuel Charr all day long. Also, Francis and Joe Joyce would be a good fight.”
Fury vs Usyk
It’s rotten luck for Ngannou that the Usyk fight was signed. Otherwise, Fury vs Ngannou II for the WBC title would have been next.
Fury has a reputation to repair after becoming a mediocre heavyweight champion in the eyes of the boxing fraternity. And whether a lack of preparation or not, Fury looked terrible against Ngannou.
In addition, “The Gypsy King” will want to put that right at the earliest opportunity. This means he’s got a lot on his plate with Usyk and Ngannou for the next eighteen months.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
