Tyson Fury experienced one of the most damaging nights of his career

Fury – who won a controversial split decision 96-93, 95-94, and 95-94 for Ngannou – had an off night, yet that should take nothing away from the determination, obduracy, strength, fitness and heart of the Cameroonian who, like the favourite, switched effortlessly between orthodox and southpaw stances.

Ngannou’s stock rose as much as Fury’s fell in this fight, as the former mixed martial arts star thwarted the Briton’s attempts to attack with power and desire – and showed a surprising boxing IQ. Ngannou will come again, one suspects, in another prize fight, which could be against the likes of Deontay Wilder or, say, Zhilei Zhang. Enticing contests indeed.

But drama and controversy sell in the fight game, always have, always will, and the debate will rage as to the outcome of the upcoming Fury vs Usyk fight, as the WBC champion nurses his bruises and damage to the side of his left eye after what became a messy, cumbersome performance. Fury, indeed, acknowledged that it had been “one of the toughest fights in the last 10 years.”

Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, told Telegraph Sport that Ngannou had shocked everyone, and that he had shown more in the performance and given Fury more problems “than Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora combined”. Those were Fury’s last two outings, and Warren added that he sees it as “unlikely” that the signed undisputed title fight will go ahead on December 23 with Fury needing recovery time.

“I’ve told Tyson he needs to go away and have a break,” added Warren, the morning after the night before, in a contest which stunned onlookers with its enactments in the ring, which were unpredictable before the first bell.

Prior to Saturday night’s contest, with the opening of the Riyadh Season as a spectacular backdrop, the reported $100 million Fury-Usyk unification fight was on course to return to Riyadh this year, but Fury now requires – in his words, too – “a break” from the sport.

If anything, the poor performance, by the champion’s standards, ought to provide a sharpener for Fury. Looking back on the action, Ngannou was rock-like, and although Fury attempted several times to control the fight, there were never sustained periods of ascendancy, which must have bewildered the fighter renowned for his IQ.

Ngannou did fatigue in the latter periods of the 10-round non-championship bout, but Fury was still unable, in spite of using his jab effectively, to hurt his huge foe in very close rounds which might have gone to either fighter.

It was a surreal night for Fury, who perhaps, either willingly or not, had underestimated Ngannou’s challenge. There was a face-off between Fury and Usyk in the ring post-fight, but it was lost in the shock at ringside as Ngannou celebrated with his supporters. Who knows, they may even play it back and have a second encounter in the future.

It is time for Fury and team to go back to the drawing board, before what will be an almighty physical chess match with Usyk, and based on this performance and this version of Fury, another difficult fight. 

Lennox Lewis, the last undisputed champion in 1999, told Telegraph Sport that he “would have rushed” Usyk had he fought the unbeaten Ukrainian. 

But the contest has now become even more enticing, more debatable, when the pair collide in an era-defining fight for the blue riband division in a clash of unbeaten champions which must happen as soon as it is viable.