Francis Ngannou Confirms Talks With Deontay Wilder As He Says His Next Fight ‘Has To Be Boxing’

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has confirmed he is in talks with Deontay Wilder.

Ngannou was released from his UFC deal after a contract dispute as he was vocal he wanted to box next time out. Immediately, he said he would like to box Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder and now, Ngannou confirms he is in discussions to box ‘The Bronze Bomber’ next time out.

“My next step has to be boxing,” Ngannou said to ESPN. “I want to do one boxing match first, and then maybe go back to MMA because I still enjoy MMA. I want to do a couple of fights in boxing. We are working on some stuff and hopefully in a month or two, I will be able to come out with an announcement on potential fight dates and locations. It’s taking a little longer than I expected but it’s coming along. Big things come with time.

“I’m considering everybody [as an opponent],” Ngannou continued. “I talked to [promoter] Eddie Hearn about Anthony Joshua, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The most that we have spoken with is Deontay Wilder’s team. We’ve been having some exchanges, basically coming to some sort of verbal agreement.”

Should Francis Ngannou vs. Deontay Wilder be made, it would be a massive fight and a very intriguing matchup as both have insane KO power. Along with that, Ngannou hopes the fight could happen in Africa to make it that much bigger.

“I always wanted to have an event in Africa,” Ngannou said. “To fight at home but also to give my people a show, an opportunity to see all those big events and give a gift to the kids to believe in this sport and let them know that anything is possible. I’m still working to bring something to Africa and I will do that. That’s my personal mission.”

Are you interested in seeing Francis Ngannou vs. Deontay Wilder?