Tyson Fury has goaded Francis Ngannou on social media to fight him at Wembley this year - despite announcing his retirement in April.
The Gypsy King has remained vocal on Twitter and Instagram throughout his two months out of the ring, taking pops at Jake Paul as he prepares to fight his brother Tommy Fury. But the heavyweight champion might be getting itchy feet already.
An ongoing feud with UFC star Ngannou ramped up in a series of tweets, including one out of the blue where he posted a picture of the Cameroonian with a chicken on his head. He said: "Thought you wanted some smoke @francis_ngannou. Lets do a propper fight! Wembley Stadium 2022."
Ngannou replied: "Don't you dare think that I take my eyes out of you. You're still my priority! I'm coming for all the smoke. 2023." Fury hit back: "Bring it on big boy. You wouldn’t last a round me muscles."
This is not the first time that the two heavyweights have taken pops at one another when Ngannou was a surprise arrival in the ring after Fury's victory over Whyte. The Brit knocked Whyte out in the sixth round at Wembley in front of a crowd of 94,000.
A crossover fight with hybrid rules had been floated as an idea in an exhibition bout between the two and Fury revealed all the details. “Yeah, I think it would be an exhibition fight,” he said. “Great, great clash of the titans and obviously I would win.”
While Fury has demanded a fight as early as this year, no such clash could happen until 2023 at the earliest. Ngannou might have fought his last fight in the UFC after a decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
There is a clause in the 35-year-old's contract that means he is tied to the promotion for three more fights or one year. His deal expired back in January, meaning it will either be one or the other.
But with injury ruling the knockout artist out following knee surgery, it appears it might be the latter option. That would suit Fury, who appears ready to return to the ring as soon as possible.
“The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion,” Ngannou said about renegotiating with the UFC. “That’s not an option. It has to be part of the discussion because if that’s not part of the discussion now, it will never be.
"If I sign another contract now, and basically the same model of a contract, I’m screwed. It’s not happening ever. So we have to figure out a way to implement this into a contract.”
