Deontay Wilder optimistic about Francis Ngannou fight, provides latest updates on talks
Deontay Wilder has provided the fans with an update regarding his talks with Francis Ngannou and expressed optimism for a future fight.
In an exciting development for combat sports fans, Deontay Wilder has shared his latest thoughts on a potential fight with Francis Ngannou. The former heavyweight champion spoke candidly about the ongoing negotiations, revealing that he is feeling optimistic about the possibility of the bout taking place.
While Wilder was reluctant to provide full details of the discussions, he did reveal some important information about the potential format of the fight. He stated that he would be happy to compete in either boxing or MMA first, leaving the decision up to Ngannou. This, he believes, will help to avoid any potential disagreements.
'The Bronze Bomber' said:
"I ain't gonna give full details... but I will tell you about the parts, the events that we're trying to get to, trying to take place. I want to do, I want to do... If it was in my perfect world, I'll do either box or MMA first, either one, I'll let him choose that, it won't matter to me, you know. So, that way, it won't be, uh, no disagreements on that."
He added:
"That would be solely up to him. And we'll go from there, but at this moment in time, it seemed like, you know, he wanted to do boxing and both fights boxing but he may change. But then again I got another option as well to do boxing and MMA somewhere else, in a certain location. Gonna be crazy man, and I accepted, I accepted that last night... so that fight is moving along."
Check out Deontay Wilder speak of the current developments leading into a potential fight with Ngannou [1:03:42 mark]:
John McCarthy shares his thoughts on Deontay Wilder calling out Francis Ngannou
The potential bout between former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder and former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou has generated a lot of buzz, with even John McCarthy weighing in on the matchup.
Speaking on his Weighing In podcast, McCarthy praised Wilder's callout to Ngannou, stating that it was impressive on the boxer's part to offer to compete in both sports.
The Bellator commentator said:
"That's pretty impressive, I kinda like that. That's a tit-for-tat... We all know Denotay Wilder as a boxer. Man, he has got power, he has got a big right hand. But if there is one thing I'm gonna say, he is 6'7", I wanna say, but he is only 220 pounds... Ngannou is gonna be a lot bigger than him because Ngannou used to cut [weight] and Ngannou is a bit man, super strong, not saying Deontay is not. But in MMA, Deontay is gonna have problems. But in boxing, I think Ngannou is gonna have problem. So it goes back and forth both ways, but I would love to see this."
Check out John McCarthy's comments on a potential Deontay wilder vs. Francis Ngannou in the video below [1:02:46 mark]: