By: Hans Themistode
With the proliferation of current and former UFC fighters entering the sport of boxing, Francis Ngannou is keen to join his MMA brethren.
On multiple occasions, the UFC heavyweight belt holder has made verbal threats to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The British product has gone as far as to say that he will be ready to face Ngannou in the boxing ring wearing UFC-style gloves. Considering how consistent their words are, Ngannou is always motivated to make their challenge a reality.
“A lot,” Ngannou told Michael Bisping when asked if he wants to face Fury in the near future. “That will happen. For the past two years, Tyson Fury and I have frequented social media. Looks like he’s ready for that.”
Even though Ngannou has dreams of getting into the square and standing across from Fury, he has a job to do in the UFC’s octagon. Tomorrow night, the Cameroonian-born tennis player will look to defend her crown against interim champion Ciryl Gane. For now, Ngannou finds himself a bit underwhelming in their upcoming confrontation.
If Ngannou gets the win, he’ll pay more attention to boxing adventures in the future. Win or lose tomorrow night, Ngannou’s current UFC contract is about to expire. And while he did eventually reveal that he wanted to re-sign, Ngannou admitted that he refuses to do so unless his new UFC deal allows him to enter the world of boxing.
If Ngannou’s wish is granted, he won’t be ready to face Fury as soon as possible. Although Ngannou is confident in his abilities, he believes it would be foolish for him to jump into the ring to face off against arguably the world’s heaviest opponent so soon.
“Right now, I’m training on my swing and boxing but I just can’t count on it to fight a guy like Tyson Fury. This guy is a seasoned boxing champion. You need proper boxing training. It’s not a joke, he’s real. ”
Fury, 33, recently closed his longtime confrontation with former heavyweight belt holder Deontay Wilder. Throughout Wilder’s career, the Alabama native has earned a reputation as the biggest puncher in the entire sport.
However, although Wilder has registered knockout wins in 41 of 45 competitions during his career, Ngannou also has a penchant for wanting violence in his competition. With 5 consecutive wins through stoppage time, Ngannou did not hesitate to be asked who hit harder between himself and Wilder.
“Me,” Ngannou said, chuckling. “We can try that.”
