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Francis Ngannou shared his thoughts on some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
The heavyweight champion is in the midst of a contract standoff with the UFC. Ngannou has expressed his discontent with fighter pay in the past but his manager, Marquel Martin, has intimated that there are also other issues at play.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Ngannou talked about the quality attributes of some of the best heavyweight boxers in the world. He had no hesitation in calling Tyson Fury the best boxer of the era.
'The Gypsy King' has held the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring titles. Most publications also consider him the lineal heavyweight champion. Ngannou said:
"Tyson Fury - I think he's the best. He's the best boxer of this era with no doubt and he's proven his point by getting people like Deontay Wilder. He's fought this guy three times." Francis Ngannou also compared Deontay Wilder to UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis. Wilder held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, when he dropped it to Fury. According to Ngannou: "Deontay Wilder - Heavy hands, good guy, good trash-talk guy, too. Pretty much the same thing as Derrick Lewis that I can say. "
The Cameroonian UFC star reserved a lot of praise for Anthony Joshua, who twice held the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO championships.
"Anthony Joshua - very nice guy, very good. I've been watching Joshua since a long time. He's a very good boxer, skill-wise. Good physique and everything. Personally I don't know him but I will say nice guy from what I've seen so far. He's very explosive. He hits hard. I watched some of his fights. Even when he fought Klitschko, he showed he can hit and take punches, too. He has a very good chin," said Francis Ngannou.
Check out Francis Ngannou's entire video below:
Francis Ngannou still considers Jon Jones a light heavyweight
Francis Ngannou was all set to take on Jon Jones after the two-time 205 lbs champion made the jump to heavyweight. However, 'Bones' entered into a pay dispute with the UFC and hasn't fought since February 2020. In the same video, Ngannou also shared his thoughts on Jones:
"Jon Jones is still light heavyweight because Jon Jones never fights in heavyweight division. So, that is like one of the most talented guy in the sport. You know, he has been a light heavyweight champion for a decade almost. You know and retain his belt for that long in a division that people hit so hard, I think you must have something you know. And he hit his way around. It can be like striking, wrestling, a ground game, he's everywhere. He is definitely one of the best fighters in the sport with no doubt."
Francis Ngannou will defend his crown against interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. If Ngannou retains the title, Dana White has hinted that he'll have another fight left on his deal. A super fight against Jon Jones may not be completely off the cards.
