Tyson Fury has come out to say “blame me” for what admitted was a “below par performance” from the WBC heavyweight champion of the world against MMA fighter, Francis Ngannou, who knocked the pro boxer down and who many feel deserved to win the match.
Fury faced former UFC fighter Ngannou, who had no previous orthodox boxing experience prior to the cross-discipline bout, on Sunday night and despite emerging victorious following a split decision, has sparked controversy across the fighting world, with many claiming the result was ‘rigged’.
Ngannou, 37, managed to deck ‘The Gypsy King’ in the third round and, in many viewers eyes, was the more dominant and aggressive of the two fighters on the night, but the judges still ruled 96-93 and 95-94 in Fury’s favour, with only the third judge scoring the Cameroonian-Frenchman ahead by 95-94.
While the fallout from the fight is still simmering — Mike Tyson, Carl Froch, Chris Eubank, Eddie Hearn, Ngannou himself and many more insisting that he should have won — a couple of days on from the fight, Fury has now come out to shed some light on how it went down, admitting he wasn’t at his best.
"BLAME ME IF YOU'RE GONNA BLAME ANYBODY"
Full interview with @Tyson_Fury now LIVE on our YouTube channel ‼️
Tyson Fury says ‘blame me’ for the knockdown and a sub-par performance in the ring.
Speaking to iFL TV ahead of flying home from the equally controversial fight venue in Saudi Arabia, the 35-year-old from Wythenshawe argued that although he believes there’s no one to blame for the fight not necessarily going according to plan, if blame has to be placed on anyone it should be him.
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“It wasn’t the best performance but I’m not going to make any excuses, said Fury. “I had a good camp… It was a tough fight, I had to get off the floor to win… yeah, it was a below-par performance but take nothing away from the other man. You’re only as good as your opponent will let you be and that’s a fact”.
Despite having compared the match-up against the former UFC champion to being “like a table tennis champion facing Djokovic in the Wimbledon final” (something Ngannou was quick to mock his opponent with shortly after), the MMA specialist gave him a tougher fight than many expected.
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Insisting that he “didn’t train for a fight like that”, Fury went on to add, “There’s no ‘who to blame’ — blame me. There’s no ‘blame the trainer’, ‘blame the manager’, ‘blame the cutman’; blame me if you’re gonna blame anybody. It was what it was — it’s the fight game, not tap dancing.
🔹The rules of boxing state that the count starts, only when the ref starts counting. 🔹Tyson Fury did beat the count. 🔹However it was poor officiating and the seven seconds taken to start the count, definitely helped Tyson Fury. 🔹The odds were stacked against Ngannou. https://t.co/I7mUOUmXRz
Detailing exactly why the ex-UFC fighter was difficult to deal with, the Manc boxing icon described Ngannou’s style as “a lot more awkward than [he] thought he was going to be”, refusing to “walk on” to more of the traditional shots you would expect from someone who hasn’t typically trained as a boxer.
He also explained the knockdown as a result of him “being greedy” and wanting to get in an extra hit after a one-two which simply resulted in his opponent catching him on the way out. While many fight fans will continue to argue the final decision was incorrect, the official CompuBox punch stats did seem to reveal that Fury landed more hits and that Ngannou simply landed a few extra power shots.
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Ultimately, Fury did concede that he “was good at what he was doing”, adding, “Fair play to him… he gave me a better fight than all the boxers did in the last 10 years”. Some pretty high praise.
Featured Image — iFL TV (via YouTube)/Francis Ngannou (via Twitter)
Sport
Oldham RLFC chairman to step aside following ‘stadium ban’ and winding-up petition
Danny Jones
Oldham Rugby League Football Club chairman Bill Quinn has said he is stepping down from his role at the organisation following a reported club-wide stadium ban and an HMRC winding-up petition earlier this month.
Quinn has now claimed that the petition, which requires a company to appear in court over debts, has since been resolved, but the 59-year-old is still set to leave the local outfit.
Mirroring the concerning circumstances that nearly saw Salford Red Devils disappear completely last year, before a former player’s investment rescued the sporting institute in the eleventh hour, Oldham RLFC looked to be staring down a deeply concerning period of uncertainty.
Speaking directly to Roughyeds fans in a lengthy video share on social media, Quinn said that while he disagreed with many of the comments left by supporters online over the last few weeks, he understands their frustration and right to know what’s going on in and around Boundary Park.
Reiterating that he’s “more than happy” to answer reasonable questions levelled by Oldham residents and matchgoers, he said that he denies allegations made by fellow native club, Oldham Athletic, stating that they are “totally unfounded and untrue”.
The Latics are currently refusing the rugby league side from using their usual home ground, with the football team also serving as landlords and raising concerns over unpaid taxes and outstanding funds still owed to debtors – including OAFC themselves.
You can read their most recent public statement in full HERE.
However, Quinn claims that both entities claim the other one owes them money, and the situation looks to be unfortunately heading towards formal litigation.
Nevertheless, while Chorley-based businessmen say the club is prepared to settle their monetary differences if arrears prove to be the case on their part, he has still said that he will soon be quitting.
As you can see, despite plenty of support and sympathy from the faithful fan base, the process looks to already be in motion, and many are being urged to provide their feedback on what should happen next.
"Trust between a club and its supporters relies on openness and communication — both of which currently feel lacking. This open letter is not written in a spirit of hostility, but out of genuine concern for the future of Oldham RLFC".
Despite Quinn’s insistence that “everyone will be paid”, the spectre of possible liquidation has still caused plenty of concern among the community.
In the case of Salford RLFC, they were fortunate enough to have ex-winger Mason Caton-Brown step in as part of a consortium – you can read our full interview with him HERE – but as the weeks and months of that saga proved, a lot can change even day to day.
As for the coaching front, Alan Kilshaw has been confirmed as the new boss of the Roughyeds following director of rugby Mike Ford and his assistant Callum Irving leaving last week.
While winding-up summons obviously still loom large over the club at the moment, Oldham fans do at least have games to look forward to, with the Greater Manchester Championship club set to face off against Dewsbury Rams in the third round of the Challenge Cup this Sunday, 8 February (3pm).
Tracey Neville appointed as Managing Director of brand new Stockport County Women’s team
Danny Jones
Stockport County FC have finally and officially launched their new women’s team in what they are hailing as a “new era” for the female football in the area.
Moreover, they’ve hired an experienced international coach to head up the department, with Tracey Neville MBE selected as the Managing Director of the new outfit.
Sister to footballing brothers Phil and Gary Neville, but with an oft-overlooked impressive reputation of her own – having not only won bronze at both the 1998 Commonwealth Games and World Netball Championship in ’99 before going on to coach her national team – she arrives with plenty of pedigree.
Now swapping her discipline for a different set of nets, Tracey Neville will lead the pre-existing Stockport County Ladies setup into their next modern chapter as the SCFC Women.
The club is delighted to announce the launch of Stockport County Women, marking an exciting new era for women’s football in our town.
Writing in a short announcement on social media, the Hatters said: “The club is delighted to announce the launch of Stockport County Women, marking an exciting new era for women’s football in our town.
“Founded in 1989 as Stockport County Ladies, the team has spent 37 years as a volunteer-led community club, providing opportunities for women and girls across the borough.
“From the 2026–27 season, the team will compete as Stockport County Women, reflecting the growth of the women’s game and the club’s commitment to equality and opportunity.”
Also confirming the appointment of an experienced women’s and international sports personality, Tracey Neville, as the new MD, they’ve issued a clear mission statement.
Put simply, she and the rest of her staff are going to be tasked with creating “a clear pathway from grassroots to elite women’s football for Stopfordians.”
Commenting on her new role in a lengthier club statement, Neville said: “I am incredibly proud to be joining Stockport County at such a pivotal moment for the club and for the women’s game.
“My career in elite sport has shown me what is possible when there is a clear vision, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to developing talent from the ground up. Women’s football is at a defining point, and Stockport has the opportunity to do something special.
She goes on to add: “This is a community club with deep roots, and my focus will be on creating a clear, credible pathway for girls and women to progress, while building the standards, culture and infrastructure needed to compete at the highest level.”
“We want young girls in Stockport to believe that they can reach the top of the game without leaving their community. That’s how you build something powerful, sustainable and truly representative of the people it serves.”
This comes following another major announcement with the news of the next phase of the infrastructural development, with the wider football club set to take control of Stockport Sports Village (SSV) and turn it into the home not only of the youth academy, but County Women and grassroots club Stockport Town.
As for Stockport County Women, it was only last year that they were playing against Liverpool’s female senior first team at Edgeley Park, and with all the investment happening in and around the organisation, you can expect more dates like these in the near future.
Stockport County Ladies become Women from next season onwards.
Danny Jones -
30th October 2023 
