Video: Deontay Wilder Open to Francis Ngannou Boxing Fight After Injury Rehab
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVNovember 11, 2024
Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Deontay Wilder is willing to discuss a proposed fight with Francis Ngannou after recuperating from a shoulder injury.
Wilder told TMZ Sports that’s a “conversation I’m still looking to get in the mix and talk about it.” He added that “there’s been a lot of offers coming in” in general.
A battle between “The Bronze Bomber” and Ngannou has been thrown around for more than a year now. Wilder floated the idea of a two-fight deal in February 2023 so that they could cross paths under boxing and MMA rules.
After Wilder lost to Joseph Parker last December, Ngannou made it clear he still wanted the former WBC heavyweight champion:
Francis Ngannou @francis_ngannouLicking my lips after watching this fight šš½ļø @RiyadhSeason #BattleOfTheBaddest
More recently, he told Lewis Thompson of talkSPORT in August that he “would love that fight.”
“It’s a fight that I want, I always wanted that fight,” Ngannou said. “At some point we had a discussion that didn’t go too far, but we wanted to make this fight happen.”
The PFL star specified he’d only want to box against Wilder because “that’s where we both stand a chance.”
In terms of the box office potential, this matchup probably isn’t what it would’ve been a year or two ago.
Wilder has dropped four of his last five fights, most recently suffering a fifth-round TKO at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. Ngannou, meanwhile, was knocked out in the second round by Anthony Joshua this past March, and it doesn’t look like that was as much of a moneymaker as his 2023 bout with Tyson Fury.
Still, both fighters remain notable names in combat sports and stand to gain a lot from headlining a major card.
