Francis Ngannou is determined to try his hand at boxing. The current UFC heavyweight champion spoke with TMZ Sports and he said that his new UFC contract must contain a clause that allows him to box. The towering Cameroonian fighter is set to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane on January 22, but after that, Ngannou says, he wants to face a big name heavyweight boxer – and he has mentioned both Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
“It’s always been down the line. This [boxing] is something that, I’m not taking my eyes off,” Ngannou said. “This is going to happen either way, and even if I stay – if, or when the UFC and I, we finalise a [new] deal, the boxing part has to be in it, because I can’t see myself retiring without boxing. Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder – I would like to test myself to their level. It’s not the same sport – and [yet] at the end of the day, it’s just about throwing hands, throwing punches, having a good delivery system to throw those bombs. And I’m sure that if I can deliver my own punches pretty good, I can make damage.”
Ngannou is not a faded UFC fighter who has nothing to look forward to in his own sport and is looking at boxing for nothing more than a big payday. No, Ngannou, at the top of his game, really does want to see if he can take on and defeat the best heavyweights in boxing. And Fury has expressed interest in facing Ngannou – stating on social media how the fight would be “easy work.”
Will Dana White agree to Ngannou’s demand that a clause to allow him to box is featured in his new contract? Or might Ngannou leave the UFC after his fight with Gane, win or lose?
There are certainly plenty of fans from both sports who would like to see Ngannou face an elite heavyweight boxer. And such an event could bring in a whole lot of cash.
At around 263 pounds and standing at 6’4,” Ngannou is certainly big enough to tackle the likes of Fury and Wilder. And we know Ngannou can really punch. Let’s see what happens with this one.
