Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou insists his next move, his next fight “has to be boxing.” Speaking to ESPN yesterday, Ngannou, who has been calling a massive fight with a heavyweight boxing superstar for a few months, said he’s “thinking of everyone” as far as he might get his boxing debut. However, in terms of more advanced conversations, Ngannou said he and his team spoke more with Deontay Wilder than any other fighter and his team.
Ngannou says he would love to fight Wilder in Africa, near the epic’s 50th anniversary, and the “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman will never be forgotten. Nganno says he can fight Wilder twice.
“I think of everyone [as an opponent in the boxing ring]. I talked to Eddie Hearn about Anthony Joshua, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The one we’ve talked to the most is the Deontay Wilder team. We had a few exchanges, and basically came to some kind of verbal agreement. We want two fights. Maybe one of those fights in Africa, maybe two of those fights in Africa. Which would be huge, which would be awesome. I think August next year is the 50th anniversary of The Rumble in the Jungle and I think this will be an opportunity to do something massive in Africa. We’re looking at something around this possible second battle timeline.”
Ali Foreman’s take actually took place in October of 1974, of course, but despite that slip-up, Ngannou managed to get fight fans interested, if not wildly excited, with his idea for “Rumble II.” Wilder spoke about the “big, exciting plans” that were in full swing when he was out in Saudi Arabia recently, with the former WBC heavyweight champion also saying how he wasn’t able to go into detail until things were “in place”.
Was it the fight or the fight with Ngannou that Wilder was alluding to? Perhaps, but Wilder seems to be strongly implying that he himself will be fighting in Saudi Arabia soon.
We’ll see what happens. But Nganno will be fighting a well-known boxer sooner rather than later. Ngan’u’s dream will come true. Whether it turns out to be a dream come true or a nightmare for the Nigerian powerhouse, only time will tell. In fact, if Ngannou fought Wilder, would a rematch be required?
