The WBC have defended their decision to rank former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in their top 10 following his defeat to Anthony Joshua; president Mauricio Sulaiman says they are in the process of working on the current heavyweight rankings
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says he stands by the decision to rank Francis Ngannou in the top 10 despite the former UFC heavyweight champion’s crushing knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua.
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Ngannou was placed at No 10 in the rankings by the WBC on the back of his impressive boxing debut against Tyson Fury, which saw him record a stunning third-round knockdown of the undefeated world champion in a split decision defeat back in October.
Such was the lasting impression of his performance that Ngannou had been backed by some to trouble Joshua, only for the former unified world champion to assert his dominance with three brutal knockdowns on the way to victory in Saudi Arabia.
“100 per cent [we stand by the decision to rank him in the top 10], just by facts. Everybody criticised the WBC, myself, the ratings committee,” said Sulaiman, speaking to Sky Sports.
“They jumped the gun and a month later the fight is announced against Joshua and nobody said anything. It is about tendency, we don’t go or rule or make decisions by popularity. It is not a popularity con
“We go by facts, by rules and the ranking of Ngannou was perfectly supported by the WBC rules which is clear in the criteria from rankings that we consider the activity of the fighter in other contact sports.
