Going into the main event on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, everyone expected a laughably-easy night for the "Gypsy King" Tyson Fury. Nobody expected his opponent, retired MMA undisputed champion Francis Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut that night. Pundits - and, I confess, myself included - theorized that a "moral victory" for Ngannou would be making it past the fourth round.

Apparently, no one bothered to inform Ngannou of the scheduled itinerary. With a stellar performance from a man who, as a reminder, was making his professional boxing debut at the "ripe old" (in boxing terms) age of 37, Francis Ngannou turned a losing performance into a major disruptor in the heavyweight boxing scene.

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Francis Ngannou Entered The Chat

Many fighters in their professional debuts experience the awkwardness of changing from an amateur bout to a professional one at a relatively young age, the feel of the smaller glove size, and the extension to a full four rounds. Francis Ngannou made his professional boxing debut at the age of 37, boxed a full ten rounds, and even scored a knockdown on one of the top dogs in the heavyweight division, and frankly he looked darn good doing it.

Though his record in boxing is officially 0-1 now, the talk among boxing fans is what, if anything, Ngannou is capable of. Can this relative newbie make a splash among other big names? For what it's worth, Ngannou certainly thinks so.

"At first," said Ngannou after the fight, "I was a little nervous. This new sport that I never did, I didn't really feel it. Now I know I can do this shit! Get ready! A wolf is in the house!"

Despite coming up short on a split decision that many fans may have been a robbery on paper, Ngannou has no intention on being a one-and-done fighter. "I'm not giving any excuse," Ngannou said of his performance. "I worked hard, I gave my best, and I know I can work harder. I know myself, I know my dedication. We're going to look at what we can do to improve and come back better. Tonight was a feel of the water, and I know the temperature of the water. I'm getting ready to come back and take over."

Ngannou has no solid plans for his next opponent, but floated a possibility of a rematch. "I'm ready to fight any time soon. We can run it back again and I'm sure I'm going to get better."

Fury's Victory Under Scrutiny By Fans And Future Foes

"He's a very awkward man and he's a good puncher," Fury said of Ngannou's performance, "and I respect him a lot, before the fight and afterward. He was very awkward; he wasn't coming forward, he was just standing back waiting for me to land my punches and then counter."

Fury tried to downplay his less-than-stellar performance in post fight comments. Of the surprising third round knockdown, Fury said he was alright. "It was what it was, I got back up and got back to my boxing." And of the scorecards causing some to cry foul into the universe, Fury simply said, "I don't know how close it was, but I got the win and that's what it is."

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However, one aspect he definitely did not discuss was his already-inked December 23 fight against fellow heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, which now becomes a much more even fight, if it still goes through on the proposed date, or if at all.

Mike Tyson Knows Who Really Won

When asked after the fight how he scored the fight, Tyson looked at the camera and shot back, "How did you score it?" The reporter replied, "I thought Francis [Ngannou] won."

Tyson simply looked at him and responded, "You're right."