Francis Ngannou has called out Anthony Joshua for a fight after leaving his UFC deal, despite initially planning to fight fellow heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The UFC star never lost his world title in the octagon but decided this weekend that he wouldn't be signing an extended contract with the promotion, thus vacating the belt and moving on to other options. And he believes that it's likely his next fight will take place in a boxing ring, with Joshua one of his dream opponents.
It could end up working out well for the Brit, who is planning a comeback tour of three fights this year, starting with an easier match-up before building up to a world title effort. He is expected to face Jermaine Franklin or Demsey McKean in an April ring return, followed by a summer showdown with Dillian Whyte and a year-ending super-fight with Deontay Wilder.
But there would be massive money to be made in facing off with the greatest MMA fighter in the world at heavyweight, with Ngannou putting him on his list of prospective opponents. Ngannou said on The MMA Hour: "I still want to achieve something in boxing and I want to stay in MMA as well. I discovered MMA first in my life and I feel like I have some mileage to give in my sport.
"In a perfect world, I go out there get some boxing match then get some MMA, depending on the challenges that are out there. If they are out there, I want to fight the top guys in boxing. I don't know, I think Fury has retired and come back. I don't know where Fury is right now, but now it is time.
"Before, we could not do anything concrete beyond the social media stuff. Whatever it is, if it is with Tyson Fury, I will take it. I have no problem doing boxing with 4oz gloves, we will figure it out. Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua would be my first ideal opponent."
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Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn would surely jump at an opportunity for a monstrous crossover fight, which would be the first of his worldwide broadcast deal with DAZN. The Brit could face a massive name, with a dangerous reputation in the eyes of fans, before actually taking on a serious boxing challenge.
Crossover fights in which MMA champions take on boxers are rare, but they have been massive when they've occurred previously. One of the biggest boxing events in history saw Floyd Mayweather take on then-two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2017 with millions tuning in on pay-per-view.
Ngannou isn't quite the star that McGregor was, but it would be a much easier sell to fans to place Joshua in the ring opposite Ngannou as opposed to the likes of McKean or Franklin. The Brit is currently riding a two-fight losing streak; both of which came at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk in unified title fights.
