Cameroonian-born mixed martial artist and boxer Francis Ngannou made his professional boxing debut recently against Tyson Fury.
In the third round, the 37-year-old Ngannou floored Fury with a powerful left blow. But while one judge scored it 95-94 in favor of Ngannou, two gave it to Fury at 96-93 and 95-94.
It seemed the scorecards were against Fury and he appeared desperate when lunging forward in the seventh, missing Ngannou and falling to his knees—deemed a slip rather than a knockdown.
Ngannou boxed very smartly when he was able to close the distance, using his MMA skills to clinch and land shots to the body and head.
Fury’s face carried the damage as the final bell rang, and Ngannou’s corner held his arms up high in the expectation that he was on the verge of pulling off the biggest shock in boxing.
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However, after that rather controversial boxing match, several people have been wanting to know more about Francis Ngannou.
Here are a few facts about the man, Francis Ngannou:
Net Worth: Francis Ngannou, who is 6ft 4 in height, is worth between $5-$7 million, with career earnings of over $2.7 million.
Career Earnings: Ngannou made approximately $22,500 for his UFC debut in 2015. When he took out Alistair Overeem in 2017, he earned $90,000. In 2018, Ngannou earned $500,000 in his first fight against Stipe Miocic, a losing effort for the UFC heavyweight title. Against Derrick Lewis, another loss, he reportedly earned $105,000.
Rebounding against Curtis Blaydes in 2018, Ngannou made $255,000, compared to $26,500 in their first fight in 2016. In 2021, Ngannou was estimated to have made approximately $580,000 for his UFC 260 rematch against Miocic, whom he beat for the UFC heavyweight title. He made roughly $600,000 when he defeated Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title, which was his last fight under the UFC banner.
Charities: A couple of years ago, he established the Francis Ngannou Foundation. The goal of this foundation is to reach extremely low-income, underserved, and vulnerable populations, marginalized communities, causes, and geographical locations often overlooked by mainstream philanthropy in Cameroon and Africa in general.
