MIKE TYSON admitted he told Francis Ngannou to attempt the audacious ‘Superman’ punch during his boxing bout with Tyson Fury.

The two fighters went head-to-head in a huge Saudi Arabia showdown on Saturday.

Fury, 35, controversially won by split decision despite being dropped by MMA legend Ngannou, 37, in the third round.

Ngannou matched the heavyweight world champion for 10 rounds and even had enough gas left in the tank to attempt an ambitious move with just 30 seconds left on the clock.

In the final round, the Cameroonian came forward and jabbed with his left hand before jumping and trying to land a right jab on Fury’s head.

The move – widely described in MMA as a ‘Superman’ punch – left fans stunned, with one person tweeting: “This was incredible. Ngannou is box office!”

Ngannou’s trainer, former heavyweight champion Tyson, was being filmed when the MMA icon attempted the punch.

He then said: “Superman punch! I told him to use it.”

Ngannou was a huge underdog going into the fight, but many fans believe he should have won given his outstanding performance.

One judge ruled 95-94 in his favour, but the other two scored 95-94 and 96-93 respectively in favour of Fury.

Despite the controversial nature of his defeat, Ngannou did not bemoan the result.

He said: “We can run it back again and I’m sure I’m gonna get better.

“This was my first boxing match, [it was] a great experience.

“I’m not giving any excuses, I know I came up short. But I’m gonna go back and work harder.

“And with a little bit more experience and a little more feeling for the game and come back even stronger.”