Francis Ngannou is the new heavyweight champion of the world, surely?

Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury kept his undefeated record intact over the weekend, defeating MMA fighter Francis Ngannou by split decision.

The bout, named 'The Battle of the Baddest' took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and was predicted to be the Tyson Fury show, who claimed it would be like 'A table Tennis player competing against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon Final.'

When it came to the fight on Saturday night, no one predicted Ngannou to shock the world like he did, becoming the first person to knock Fury down since Deontay Wilder in 2021.

The first-time boxer didn't look out of place against the world's best, with boos ringing around the arena when it was announced the UFC legend had lost.

Tyson Fury is the best heavyweight boxer in the world, but his lackluster performance against a fighter making his debut has lowered his stock and the appeal for his fight against Usyk in December.

Some of boxing's best had their say on the fight, with Chris Eubank Jr saying: "Watching from ringside, I thought Ngannou won the fight. It was close, but he was the aggressor, landed heavier shots & scored a knockdown. Fury deserved to lose." According to Eubank's X account.

According to twitter.com, Olympic gold medallist and UFC champion Henry Cejudo said: The biggest upset in combat sports history! Francis Ngannou just became the Lineal World heavyweight BOXING champion."

After his performance against Fury, the former UFC heavyweight champion deserves a shot at boxing's best in the heavyweight division.

To remain a regular fixture in boxing's biggest division, Ngannou would need a ranking, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman believes he deserves one.

According to talksport.com, Sulaiman said: "What I personally witnessed last night is a solid boxer who deserves to be ranked by the WBC. And I will make such recommendations to the ratings committee."

Ngannou's trainer, Dewey Cooper, revealed: "Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of WBC, said he is going to rank him in the top ten because he is better than most of the heavyweights in the top ten."

If ranked in the top ten by the WBC, Ngannou would be in and around the likes of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes Ngannou was robbed in the fight and wants his client, Anthony Joshua, to fight Fury or Ngannou.

According to yahoo.com, Hearn said: "I feel like Ngannou was robbed. Obviously, he scored the knockdown. No one actually did anything in the fight. The fight was a stinker. But Ngannou won the fight."

"Let A.J. go in there and end (Fury's) career, please, or Ngannou has earned the right for a big fight. Let A.J. go in and knock Ngannou out inside three rounds."

Is Francis Ngannou the heavyweight champion of the world, or does he need to fight the other elite heavyweight boxers to claim that title?