Francis Ngannou has suggested a fight with Deontay Wilder is more likely than a clash with Anthony Joshua.
The Cameroon star reigned as UFC heavyweight champion before electing to part ways with the promotion earlier this year after failing to agree a new contract. Ngannou has made it clear he now wants to compete in the boxing ring, and this could include against WBC champion Tyson Fury who he has publicly agreed to fight on multiple occasions.
However in recent weeks, Ngannou has been in talks over a number of other lucrative options including a two-fight deal with American heavyweight Wilder. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has also revealed he held talks with the former UFC star over a potential switch to the squared circle, with a number of different outings clearly on the table.
In a fresh update on his future, the 36-year-old has admitted that talks are more advanced with Wilder's representatives but he remains open to any offers that are presented his way. He told ESPN : “My next step has to be boxing. 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 talked to 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. But I am considering everybody [as an opponent]."
Who would you rather see Francis Ngannou fight - Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder? Let us know in the comments section below
Wilder has fought just once in the last year where he KO'd Robert Helenius in the first round to respond to his back-to-back defeats against Fury. The 'Bronze Bomber' was present in Saudi Arabia last month where he suggested that he was discussing his next steps in the boxing ring.
The American late revealed that a fight could come as part of a two-part deal which will see the second event hosted in Africa providing an agreement can be reached. “It’s a real discussion,” Wilder said of a potential Ngannou fight in an interview with FightHubTV. “It’s a real discussion.
"We’re trying to do a two-fight deal. One maybe here and the other one in Africa. So that’ll be the 50th anniversary of Muhammad Ali. “All fighters are a possibility. There isn't nobody counted out, we’re having discussions with everybody, all the fighters, especially fighters at the top. Everybody in discussion so I want fighters to know that. Unfortunately, the business of boxing is what it is."
