Francis Ngannou ranked inside top 10 heavyweights in world after first boxing match

Former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou has been ranked number 10 in the heavyweight division by the World Boxing Council (WBC) following a split decision loss to champion Tyson Fury in his professional boxing debut last month.

Ngannou faced Fury in a non-title bout in Riyadh on 28 October and narrowly lost after scoring a third round knockdown against the undefeated WBC champion.

The WBC took the rare decision to award a ranking to a boxer with no professional wins at their 2023 convention.

The Cameroon-French 37-year-old transitioned from Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to boxing after the UFC released their heavyweight champion in January following unsuccessful contract negotiations.

Fury is set to fight WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed heavyweight contest in mid-February.