(Paris) Cameroonian Francis Ngannou, holder of the MMA heavyweight belt and released from his contract with the UFC, said on Tuesday in a podcast with a Canadian journalist that he was considering one or two boxing fights this year, why not against the British Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua.
“Hopefully it will be done no later than July and at least twice this year,” the 36-year-old “Predator” said on the show. MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
“My instinct tells me to box, in a professional fight. I don’t know where yet, I’ll find it, I’m working on it,” he continued.
Now released from his contract with the UFC, Ngannou welcomes “being able to engage, discuss and do what (he) wants. Now is the time,” he said.
And the Cameroonian champion is not looking for the easy: “It will be against anyone, if it is Tyson Fury (WBC heavyweight champion, editor’s note), I take. I have no problem boxing, even with four ounce gloves (smaller than English boxing gloves and especially used in MMA), so yes. Maybe with four-ounce gloves, maybe in an (MMA) cage, we’ll see.” And what opponent does he think of in priority for his first fight? : “Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua”. Anthony Joshua former heavyweight world champion is, unlike Fury, losing ground.
Francis Ngannou has already mentioned in the past his wish to compete in English boxing fights and has even already exchanged several times with Tyson Fury, a lover of verbal jousting on social networks.
Knee operated in January 2022, Ngannou, whose contract with the UFC expired at the end of 2022, had not fought for the organization since defending his title against Frenchman Ciryl Gane, still in January 2022.
Since then, the Cameroonian with 20 fights (17 wins and 3 losses) had multiplied his desires elsewhere, not hiding his desire to fight in English boxing.
“We have been trying to find an agreement with Francis for 2 years,” explained Dana White, the boss of the UFC, the most powerful MMA league, when Ngannou’s departure was announced on January 15.
“He was offered a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the organization. And he didn’t want to. He thinks he is in a position to fight less good opponents for more money, we will let him do that, ”he added.