Chael Sonnen claims Tyson Fury may not be interested in boxing Francis Ngannou anymore

Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury teased a crossover boxing match in April 2022. However, the former was still under contract with the UFC and wasn't allowed to participate in other combat sports.

Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen recently shared that the WBC heavyweight champion may no longer be interested in facing the former UFC heavyweight champion.

Tyson Fury brought in Francis Ngannou for the ESPN interview 👀 #FuryWhyte https://t.co/3ShveTYikt

Speaking on his podcast, Beyond The Fight, Sonnen stated:

"I understand that boxing is where he wants to be, but you've got to understand, in boxing - you've got a guy that was outstruck in his last fight. That's just the truth. Ciryl Gane outstruck him. You got a guy that has a knee injury. You got a guy that's an unknown age of at least 36 years old and you got a guy that's over 300 pounds."

Chael Sonnen added that Fury doesn't have much to gain by fighting Ngannou:

"This isn't what the world is playing - it's just not. If you're Tyson Fury and you go beat up a guy who's never done this before, who's coming off a knee injury, who's over the weight limit - you got to have something that Tyson could use, and you did when you had the UFC championship and now you don't."

While Ngannou is no longer the UFC heavyweight champion, it is arguable that the terms of his departure could generate interest in a crossover bout. If he doesn't face Tyson Fury, there will likely be another big-name heavyweight boxer that will step forward and take the fight, generating a massive payday.

Watch Chael Sonnen discuss why Francis Ngannou may no longer be an appealing opponent for Tyson Fury below (starting at the 3:25 mark):

Francis Ngannou reveals UFC was unwilling to let him box

Francis Ngannou has always shared his desire to make his boxing debut for a long time, even teasing a potential match against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury back in April 2022. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the free-agent mixed martial artist recently revealed that the UFC was unwilling to allow him to take part in such a match, stating:

"They didn't want anything to do with boxing. They was like, 'if, and only if, in good faith, and this', I'm like, 'I'm not betting on that. Let's get three fights here. I can knock out three fights here in one year if I'm not hurt, if I'm healthy and then after that I can go do my boxing, whatever I want. If during that time you guys find an interesting in doing boxing together then we'll do it.'"

Ngannou added that he was willing to sign a three-fight contract and delay his boxing debut. He shared that his departure was due to the UFC's unwillingness to budge on his contract demands, which included the right to sign sponsorship deals, health insurance, and an advocate to represent fighters in board meetings.

Watch Francis Ngannou discuss the UFC turning down his desire to box below:

Francis Ngannou: They didn't want anything to do with boxing.
#TheMMAHour https://t.co/CEw2XYXsJF