Patient Francis Ngannou ready to wait like "cat waiting for mouse" for boxing opportunities

This week has seen the MMA world rocked by the announcement that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will now be a member of the PFL roster.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨
"The Predator" @francis_ngannou is PFL bound!

He’s set to fight in the PFL’s PPV Superfight division
nytimes.com/2023/05/16/spo… https://t.co/5RRaG7oFwr

One of the most interesting aspects of Ngannou’s new deal with the PFL is the fact that he isn’t likely to debut in their cage until 2024. Instead, ‘The Predator’ will be allowed to pursue a big-time boxing match – something that he’s been looking to do since he entered into free agency after his last UFC fight in 2022.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Ngannou is looking for a “tune up” boxing match before he faces a more well-known opponent like Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury.

Francis Ngannou has made it clear that he now intends to have a tune-up fight in boxing before a potential heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua. [@DAZNMMA Show]

To follow this, Ngannou also spoke to TMZ Sports about his boxing future. After labelling the sport “a little weird right now”, he had the following to say about waiting for a potential opponent.

“I’m patient, man, you know me. I’m patient. I’ll just sit around like, you know, like cat waiting for mouse, I’ll just sit around and wait for my opportunity and when I get there I don’t miss.”

Watch Francis Ngannou discuss his boxing future below.

Given that June is just around the corner, it’s hopeful that the details of Ngannou’s first boxing match will be announced sooner rather than later.

Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua: What did Eddie Hearn say about this possible fight?

One famous boxer who has been linked to a potential bout with Francis Ngannou is former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

However, judging by a recent interview with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, it’s hard to see that fight being put together any time soon. When asked about a clash between ‘AJ’ and ‘The Predator’ by TheMacLife, Hearn said:

“I spoke to AJ about the fight (with Ngannou). He likes it and he gets it, but he is very focused on his boxing career at the moment and he doesn’t want to derail that to do something gimmicky, even though it’s dangerous. (Joshua) wants to prepare for Deontay Wilder.”

Check out Eddie Hearn talking about Joshua vs. Ngannou below.