Deontay Wilder suggests two-fight deal with Francis Ngannou in Africa, involving both boxing and MMA
Deontay Wilder has made a shocking proposal to Francis Ngannou.
Although Ngannou has mainly called out Tyson Fury for his first opponent outside the UFC, Wilder is interested in fighting the former heavyweight champion. During an interview with Trill Boxing Talk, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was asked about potentially fighting ‘The Predator.’
The former boxing world champion responded with an unexpected offer to also compete in MMA:
“I even thought about this idea. Let’s make it a two-fight deal. Everybody always comes to boxing… You come to my house, I’ll come to yours… I’m serious about that too. That’s something I thought about even since the first spark of the idea. You know what, I wanna do something different. Since everybody been doing this crossing between combat sports, and the MMA guys always come to boxing, and of course, they ain’t got no standup game like as far as boxing is concerned.”
Most people don’t give Ngannou a chance against Fury or Wilder in boxing. Therefore, ‘The Gypsy King’ spiced things up by offering hybrid rules, including 4-ounce gloves and a cage.
Meanwhile, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is taking things a step further by offering ‘The Predator’ a two-fight deal that includes an MMA fight, giving Ngannou the ability to utilize his kicks and grappling. Wilder also showed interest in the fights taking place in Africa, making the event a blockbuster spectacle between the knockout artists.
Watch Deontay Wilder discuss a potential matchup against Francis Ngannou below:
Deontay Wilder wants to fight Francis Ngannou in Africa
Dana White has been teasing an event in Africa for several years now, including an update in 2022 about the concept materializing soon. Since Francis Ngannou was born in Cameroon, the expectation was always for him to be on a UFC Africa fight card.
Ngannou now has a chance to make the event happen without the UFC. During the same interview with Trill Boxing Talk, Deontay Wilder had this to say when asked if he was interested in fighting ‘The Predator’:
“Most definitely. I love Francis. When I met him at the APEX in Vegas, we was talking about doing it at that time. I’m still interested in that fight. I would love to go to Africa for that one.”
‘The Predator’ is coming off a career-defining win against Ciryl Gane before vacating the heavyweight championship and parting ways with the UFC. Meanwhile, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is riding high after starching Robert Helenius in October. Francis Ngannou vs. Deontay Wilder in Africa would be a must-see fight in boxing or MMA.
Deontay Wilder KO1 Robert Helenius https://t.co/8uudbedoGt