FRANCIS NGANNOU is ready to return to boxing and has his eyes on a lucrative bout with a former heavyweight champ.
Ngannou, 38, dipped his toes into boxing for the first time in 2023, when he pushed Tyson Fury to his limits in a controversial split decision defeat.
The crossover fight left the boxing world stunned with many fans and experts feeling Ngannou had actually beaten the Gypsy King.
That set up another sensational bout with Anthony Joshua, a fight that didn’t follow the same trend and instead saw Ngannou knocked around the ring by AJ in a second round KO.
But after almost a year out of the sport and a brief return to MMA, Ngannou is ready to glove up and return to the boxing ring.
And the Predator has found his next prey, setting his sights on a head-to-head with Deontay Wilder.
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Speaking to Sportsbook Review, Ngannou teased the heavyweight fight that would see two of combat sports’ heaviest hitters come to blows.
He said: “I will do boxing next, [I’m passionate about fighting Deontay Wilder] because there’s an 80 per cent chance that somebody will go to sleep. It will be one or the other.
“Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out.
“I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder.
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“I’m saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove ‘no, it’s me [who hits harder].
“Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay? Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind.”
The pair have already been rumoured to be in negotiations over a two-fight deal, in what would be an exciting bout.
Wilder hasn’t fought since June when he was beaten by Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh.
In fact the Bronze Bomber is down on confidence in the ring, winning just one of his last five fights since February 2020.
Wilder, who held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 until 2020, would bring huge commercial value to the fight that would likely line both fighter’s pockets with a pretty penny for their efforts.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
