Where is Francis Ngannou ranked at heavyweight? 'The Predator' debuts in WBC rankings after Tyson Fury loss
Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury has now shaken up the WBC rankings.
'The Predator' and 'The Gypsy King' clashed in Saudi Arabia late last month. The bout was the first boxing match of Ngannou's career and his first fight since leaving the UFC in January. Entering the matchup, he was a massive underdog.
However, the MMA fighter gave a great account of himself in his boxing debut. In round three, Ngannou knocked down Fury, becoming one of just a few men to hurt the British boxer. While he didn't win the bout, he still went ten rounds with one of the greatest heavyweights alive.
Ultimately, Tyson Fury walked away with a split-decision win, but it's hard for Francis Ngannou to feel like a loser. Now set as one of the biggest stars in boxing, he's revealed that the bout paid more than his entire MMA career to that point.
However, Ngannou is seemingly just getting started in professional boxing. Earlier today, the WBC updated their rankings, putting the PFL heavyweight contender at #10. While the MMA fighter left with a defeat, knocking down 'The Gypsy King' deserves a ranking.
With that, he is also now able to compete for the WBC heavyweight title if that occasion arises. Ngannou famously competed for Fury's lineal heavyweight championship but was ineligible to win the WBC gold last month.
Francis Ngannou's next fight unlikely to be with Anthony Joshua
Earlier this week, Francis Ngannou was asked about his return.
'The Predator' instantly became one of the biggest stars in the sport of boxing, even with a loss. While names such as Conor McGregor have crossed over from MMA to the ring, they never had the chance to make the switch full-time.
However, that's exactly what is likely to happen with the PFL heavyweight contender. Since his performance against Fury, Ngannou has been called out by seemingly most of the division. Both Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua have both been publically interested as well.
'AJ' and 'The Bronze Bomber' recently booked tune-up bouts for December. During a recent interview on The Last Stand Podcast, Francis Ngannou was asked which man would prefer to fight next in 2024. There, he stated that he wasn't very interested in facing Joshua, adding:
“My team received a text from Eddie [Hearn] and I think that's all. I met Eddie when I'd just separated with the UFC and I think it wasn't interesting for them because I never heard back until the other day, until somebody else stepped in and took all the risk, and now he's around.”
See his comments (10:30)