By: Hans Themistode
With the proliferation of current and former UFC fighters entering the sport of boxing, Francis Ngannou is very much interested in joining his MMA brethren.
On numerous occasions, the UFC heavyweight belt holder has exchanged verbal threats with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The British product has gone as far as to say that he would be willing to face Ngannou in a boxing ring while wearing UFC-style gloves. Considering their consistent verbal tirades, Ngannou is as motivated as ever to make their showdown a reality.
“Very much,” said Ngannou to Michael Bisping when asked if he was interested in facing Fury in the near future. “That will happen. In the past two years, Tyson Fury and I have been going back and forth on social media. It seems like he’s ready for that.”
Although Ngannou dreams of entering the squared circle and standing across the ring from Fury, he has business to attend to in the UFC’s octagon. Tomorrow night, the Cameroon native will look to defend his crown against interim champion Ciryl Gane. Presently, Ngannou finds himself a slight underdog in their upcoming showdown.
Should Ngannou pull out the victory, he’ll place even more attention on his future boxing ventures. Win or lose tomorrow night, Ngannou’s current UFC contract is set to expire. And while he has ultimately revealed that he would love to re-sign, Ngannou admitted that he refuses to do so unless his new UFC deal will allow him to partake in the boxing world as well.
If Ngannou’s wish is granted, he wouldn’t be willing to immediately face Fury as soon as possible. Though Ngannou is confident in his own abilities, he believes it would be foolish of him to jump into the ring against arguably the best heavyweight in the world so soon.
“For now, I’m working on my striking and on my boxing but I can’t count on that to go box a guy like Tyson Fury. This guy is an experienced boxing champion. You need to get the proper boxing training. It’s not a joke, he’s the real deal.”
Fury, 33, recently closed the door on his longtime rivalry with former heavyweight belt holder Deontay Wilder. Throughout the career of Wilder, the Alabama native has gained a reputation of being quite possibly the biggest puncher in the entire sport.
Despite Wilder registering knockout wins in 41 of his 45 career contests, however, Ngannou also has a penchant for brutalizing his competition. With five consecutive wins via stoppage, Ngannou didn’t hesitate when asked who is the heavier hitter between himself and Wilder.
“Me,” said Ngannou while chuckling. “We can try that.”