Boxing enthusiasts are puzzled by Francis Ngannou's ranking after his fight against Tyson Fury.

The former UFC heavyweight champion, who made his boxing debut against Fury in Saudi Arabia last weekend, has been ranked as the 590th best heavyweight boxer out of 1422 active fighters, following an impressive professional debut. The decision has sparked controversy among fans.

One user wrote: "My man knocked down Tyson Fury and they put my boy in the top 500." Another fan said: "Considering he just brought the No.3-ranked guy to a close fight he should be a lot higher."

"Francis is a top 10 heavyweight boxer minimum after that if not more cos he legit dropped Fury and arguably won," a third added. While a fourth remarked: "I would have agreed if they put him inside the top 50 but no way at the 500 mark."

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Ngannou has been linked to fights against Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. He's also planning to make his PFL debut early next year, but he might have another boxing match before returning to MMA.

"I'm going to fight sometime in February or March," Ngannou told ESPN. "Maybe in the cage or in the ring, but I'm going to fight. I already basically have both, and we are working on what's going to work better. I came here to win, but I'm going back without that victory, which is not what I was looking for.

"I was really looking forward to winning this fight, but I did learn a lot about the sport. This was really my first time to fight and to do 10-round boxing match, straight boxing.

"I told myself that I didn't do bad against the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, so I've just to go back and focus on that, and use that experience to work on it and get prepared for the next time. I think this just gets me even more excited and hungry to prove. I was wounded, but I realise I can bite."

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.