Dave Portnoy is a vocal supporter of boxing. He confessed to enjoying all manner of combat sports. Simultaneously, he emphasized boxing is his first love, putting it up on a pedestal, in essence. Portnoy added he believed anyone with a solid background in boxing would “destroy” MMA fighters in the boxing ring. He is now being forced to revise that estimate following the biggest contest of the year.

Unfortunately, Portnoy missed the fight. That was because it fell at 2 p.m. on a college football Saturday. Tyson Fury took on Francis Ngannou in a boxing match in Saudi Arabia. Fury is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of his time. Dave Portnoy predicted that Fury would win, despite Ngannou being trained by former heavyweight great Mike Tyson. Ngannou, the former UFC champion, was making his boxing debut in this match. He won himself many new admirers in the process whilst also flummoxing Portnoy.

Tyson Fury just about edges out Francis Ngannou

Dave Portnoy took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his frustrations. He posed the question of whether Tyson Fury really tried to win the match. Portnoy attached the link to a new blogpost on the Barstool Sports website. There, he bemoaned the course the fight took after he’d watched the highlights. Fury emerged victorious on the back of a split decision from the three judges, 94-95, 96-93, and 95-94. Even more impressive, Ngannou administered a knockdown in the third round which caught Fury by surprise. Portnoy had his money on Fury winning comfortably by a mile.

In the blogpost, Dave Portnoy began to reconsider his defense, and love of boxing. He admitted to being confused and hurt by the result. It made him question some things he took for certain. Portnoy had anticipated a comfortable, unanimous win for Tyson Fury. He could scarcely comprehend Fury squeaking through on a close decision, as he put it. It is likely Portnoy’s views would have taken a more caustic turn had he watched the fight.

Dave Portnoy upset with the decision to hold the fight in Riyadh

Dave Portnoy did not watch the fight, admittedly having learned of it after its conclusion. He also bemoaned the decision to hold the fight in Saudi Arabia. A lot of celebrities attended the fight. Even so, Portnoy argued against future bouts being held in the Middle East. This fight, in particular, began at 2 p.m. on a college football Saturday. Further, he added the biggest fights need the proper build-up and electricity surrounding them. Portnoy reasoned that was difficult to ensure on a different continent, no matter the accompanying payday. He argued for night-time fights being held on American soil.

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Francis Ngannou won himself many new admirers with his display against Tyson Fury. Admittedly, he took his time to come to terms with Mike Tyson’s methods. But they came to fruition in that moment when he famously knocked Fury down. Unfortunately for him, two of the judges had a different view of the fight and how it unfolded. It appears Ngannou made Dave Portnoy unsure of himself in one facet of his life. Portnoy is now left wondering if boxing will be knocked off the pedestal on which he put it. Only time will tell if that could indeed be the case.

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