Eddie Hearn Warns Deontay Wilder Of Accepting Mixed-Rules Fight Against Francis Ngannou

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn doesn’t think Deontay Wilder should entertain a mixed-rules match against Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou made his boxing debut two weeks ago and lost a split decision to Tyson Fury in a fight he looked impressive in. He had even dropped Fury and many thought he should have won. However, it was Fury who got the win, and since then, Ngannou has been linked to big fights with Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

One fight that has been discussed is a mixed-rules fight between Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder. How it would work is unclear, but Hearn advises Wilder not to take it, and would rather him box Anthony Joshua or just box Ngannou.

“It’s madness, have you seen his legs?” Hearn told Boxing Social. “If Ngannou kicks those legs, they will snap in two. I think Wilder should stick to the boxing and I think he should just have a boxing fight, he hasn’t boxed for over a year. Hopefully that could be [against] AJ, or he may end up getting the fight with Ngannou, who knows? We want to see Wilder back in the ring, not in the cage, because I’m not sure how that would go.”

A mixed-rules fight would be interesting but whether or not it will happen is to be seen.

Deontay Wilder hasn’t fought since October of 2022 when he knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round. The KO over Helenius got him back into the win column after back-to-back losses to Tyson Fury. Wilder is the former WBC heavyweight champion and holds notable wins over Luis Ortiz, Chris Arreola, and Gerald Washington among others.

Do you think we see Francis Ngannou fight Deontay Wilder in 2024?