Heavyweight champ Fury survives scare from former UFC fighter Ngannou to win split decision

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou shockingly went the distance in his boxing debut early Sunday morning, even knocking down reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury at one point, but Fury remained undefeated after winning a split decision in Saudi Arabia.

Two judges gave Fury the fight by scores of 96-93 and 95-94, and the other judge favoured Ngannou 95-94.

Fury remained undefeated at 34-0-1 with 24 knockouts. Ngannou's UFC record was 17-3.

Fury relied on his jab early and switched to left-handed briefly in the second round when Ngannou made some headway and even opened a cut above Fury's left eye. Then with 43 seconds remaining in the third round, Ngannou sent Fury to the floor with a left hook, the seventh time he has been knocked down in his career.

Ngannou staggered Fury early in the fourth, but Fury stayed on his feet and the rest of the round was fairly even after that. Fury appeared to gain control late in the fifth round and carried it over into the sixth, but Ngannou showed in the seventh he wasn't going anywhere as both boxers traded blows.

Ngannou delivered three powerful lefts early in the eighth and then staggered Fury with two strong combinations midway through the round. Fury found himself holding on as Ngannou grabbed the momentum.

Fans chanted "Francis! Francis!" early in the 10th round, and just the fact the fight went the distance was an upset in itself.

Recording artists Kanye West and Eminem also attended, as did soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, UFC headliner Conor McGregor and current and former boxing greats such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Manny Pacquiao.

The host country did its part in making Fury-Ngannou a stand-alone event. That fight was inside 26,000-seat Kingdom Arena, and the preliminary