"Oleksandr Usyk is adding himself on the list" - Francis Ngannou discloses his preferred heavyweight trio he would like to face inside boxing ring

It turns out that Francis Ngannou has laid out a clear plan of action to create his legacy in boxing.

Ngannou shocked the combat sports world when he gave WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury one of the toughest fights of his career in his boxing debut last October. Although he was a massive underdog, ‘The Predator’ scored the only knockdown of the fight and lost by a razor-thin split decision.

Despite the defeat, Ngannou’s performance raised his stock. With just one professional fight on his record, he was placed in the top 10 of the WBC heavyweight rankings. The Cameroonian is now set to fight former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in his next fight.

In a recent interview with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, Ngannou said that his list of preferred opponents in boxing has not changed since he first made it but one more boxer is inserting his name in the mix. Ngannou said:

“[Anthony Joshua] is one of the great, one of the best fighters out there. I always said, ‘Whenever I get into boxing, it’s going to be three names - Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder’. So far the landscape hasn’t changed. I think Oleksandr Usyk is adding himself on the list. But basically, those are the pioneers of the boxing in this generation.”

Catch Ngannou’s comments below (1:30):

For the uninitiated, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua are both former heavyweight world champions and Olympic medalists. Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk, who is also an Olympic medalist, is the current IBF, WBO, The Ring, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion. Usyk and Fury will fight in a title unification bout scheduled to take place on May 18.

---

“It is a fighting instinct” - Francis Ngannou on what motivates him to fight the most elite boxers of this generation

Following his loss to Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou accepted to fight another elite boxer and former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, instead of choosing an easier mid-tier opponent.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports Boxing, Ngannou shed light on what inspires him to take the difficult route:

“Well, I didn’t have any experience in boxing but don’t make any mistakes. I have a lot of experience in life, a lot of experience in fighting. So I have built my fighting spirit as high as any of us, if not higher. I knew that I don’t have any experience [in boxing] but I know I can fight, bro! Throw me [anywhere], and I can fight. That’s it. It is a fighting instinct. I heard somewhere that you are born a fighter, you don’t become a fighter. I do believe that!”

Catch the full interview below (2:48):

Joshua vs. Ngannou will be a 10-round boxing match headlining the 'Knockout Chaos' event scheduled to take place on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the time of this writing, ‘AJ’ is a -400 favorite. However, the odds are subject to change.