WBC announce Francis Ngannou as No. 10 heavyweight following loss to Tyson Fury

If we were to weigh stature with results, Francis Ngannou might be the most accomplished boxer in the history of the sport.

Following his professional boxing debut, which resulted in a split decision loss to Tyson Fury, giving him an 0-1 boxing record, the WBC have just announced that they’ve now ranked Ngannou as a top-10 heavyweight in the world after slotting him in their No. 10 spot. This presumably knocks Joseph Parker out of the top 10, as he previously held the No. 10 spot for the organization.

I’ll admit I haven’t done any thorough research into this, but I’m not sure that any person before has ever cracked a top-10 ranking with only one fight under their belt, especially when that one fight resulted in a loss.

Tyson Fury performed quite poorly and seemed under-prepared for that fight, but the fact that Ngannou was even able to make it debatable is what seemingly leveraged this new standing.

Of course many in the boxing world will find this both ridiculous and perhaps even insulting given that Ngannou now sits above many people who have dedicated their lives to the sport and have more merit to be ranked ahead of him.

With that being said, boxing is still an entertainment business, and this is certainly a calculated business decision that’s sure to line the pockets of the sanctioning body going forward.