Deontay Wilder is open to sharing the ring with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing match.
The pair have met each other while training at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, being shown in one behind-the-scenes video embracing after Ngannou watched from ringside as Wilder went through a workout. The UFC star is currently nursing an injury and working through a difficult negotiation with the promotion over his contract, which he wants to allow him to box at least once.
And he has previously indicated he would like to face either Wilder or the one man to defeat him in his professional career; Tyson Fury. Ngannou vs Fury would pit the heavyweight champions of boxing and UFC against one another which would be a bigger fight, but Wilder is one of the heaviest punchers of all time, similar to the Cameroonian in MMA.
"Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder. I would like to test myself to that level," Ngannou told TMZ last year. "It's always been down the line, This is something I'm not taking my eyes off of. It's going to happen, either way. When the UFC and I finalise a deal, the boxing part has to be into it because I can't see myself retire without boxing."
Wilder is currently in camp for his return to the ring against Robert Helenius in Broolyn next month, and has been working out in close quarters with his UFC counterpart. Asked if he had run into Ngannou during his time at the plush Las Vegas gym, Wilder said: "Of course. He's been in this area, this gym before. Me and him are training together so it's all love and respect.
"Maybe one day [the pair could fight], who knows? The future is bright, October 15 right now is what we're focused on the most but hey a lot of things are in the works for the future - the champ's back."
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Ngannou's demand for a boxing match has been a huge stumbling block in his contract negotiations with the UFC, and he is currently in a limbo after winning his final bout against Cyril Gane. When he returns to full fitness from a knee injury, Ngannou will have some major decisions to make about his fighting future.
He and Tyson Fury shared a moment in the ring after the Brit's win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium earlier this year, with fans excited to see the pair together in a combat setting. There is believed to be a massive skill gap between top boxers and MMA fighters when one joins the other's discipline, but Ngannou disagrees.
"At the end of the day, it's just about like trained hands, trained punches, having a good delivery system to produce bombs and I'm sure that if I deliver my own punch, it's pretty good," he has said of the differences in sports. "I think I can make some damage."
