UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou recently became a free agent, and rumors are circulating that his first boxing bout could be against legendary boxer Deontay Wilder.
Negotiations for the bout are reportedly underway, and Tyson Fury is highly interested in seeing the outcome.
Tyson Fury previously expressed interest in facing Ngannou in 4oz gloves in a special exhibition refereed by Mike Tyson. But due to the fact that Fury is tied up with Usyk heavyweight unification bout set to be in late April, Ngannou is looking elsewhere.
In a recent interview, Fury expressed his desire to see Ngannou knock Wilder out, calling him a “piece of sh*t kinda guy.”
While Fury acknowledged Ngannou’s ability to knock out anyone with his size, he believes Wilder would do it first.
The feud between Fury and Wilder is no secret. They have faced each other three times in the ring, with Fury winning the last two. Wilder has accused Fury of skirting the rules during their bouts, adding fuel to their already contentious relationship.
Fury commented on their rivalry, saying that he did not give Wilder a good enough beating during their third outing.
Despite Fury’s victories, he did not rule out a fourth between the two. The animosity between the two boxing superstars is still very much alive, and Fury seems to have a personal vendetta against Wilder.
As for Ngannou, he is currently in negotiatiations with a number of promotions. Bellator CEO Scott Coker addressed rumors they were in talks with him and explained that Showtime/Bellator was in discussions about being the promoter for a two bout deal between Ngannou and Wilder and rated the odds of the deal coming together at 50-50.