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Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou might end up being the next opponent for Tyson Fury.
Ngannou and Fury have both displayed legitimate interest in fighting each other. ‘The Predator’ has been the one willing to cross over from the world of MMA to boxing to make this fight happen. However, it has not materialized due to several complications.
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has been looking for a perfect dance partner since knocking out British boxer Derek Chisora in December 2022. Anthony Joshua or Alexander Usyk would have been the appropriate next opponents for ‘Gypsy King’. Promoter Frank Warren recently confirmed that Fury will not be fighting Usyk. During his appearance on the Out of Interest podcast, Tyson Fury stated:
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“There’s been a lot of talk of me and Ngannou fighting each other and he wants to come to boxing. He wanted to fight me, talking a lot of stuff on Instagram, was even at one of my last fights, got in the ring, and confronted me. There’s potential but we’ve had a lot of offers come in from the Middle East to host that fight this summer.” [29:15]
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Additionally, it has been confirmed that Usyk will put his WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles on the table against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua is set to face Dillian Whyte for the second time in August. Frank Warren had previously claimed that a ‘game changer’ fight involving Tyson Fury will be announced soon. This leaves Francis Ngannou as the only viable option from a commercial standpoint.
Tyson Fury has no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight
Francis Ngannou has been on the lookout for a big payday for a while now. ‘The Predator’ has had quite a few social media interactions with high-profile boxers like Tyson Fury igniting interest in his transition. While Fury has shown his inclination towards making the fight happen, he wants to fight Francis Ngannou in boxing and has no intentions of testing the waters in MMA.
“Do I want to go into a cage and start rolling about with some absolute crank? No, thank you. But I’m not being paid to go in a ring and do that, am I?”
Francis Ngannou left the UFC earlier this year in pursuit of better opportunities. He has signed a multi-fight deal with PFL but he will not make the debut before 2024. This leaves quite some time for Ngannou to finish his business with Tyson Fury.
