What happens when you put two of the most dominant heavyweight fighters of all time up against each other? It’s a question that combat sports fans want answered, and it looks like we are closer than ever to finally making it happen. Over the past few months, Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou have been teasing the idea of an epic showdown, but this ultimate collision of boxing and MMA seemed out of reach due to contractual obligations. However, that all changed last week when it was revealed the Cameroonian-French star had failed negotiations with the UFC to sign a new deal and was now a free agent. This revelation has caused Fury to issue a formal challenge, calling for a hybrid boxing match involving ‘4 oz glovers, under Queensbury’ rules. Take our money; all of it.
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Ngannou had been vocal about wanting to face the world’s best boxers while still at the peak of his stardom. Following the Conor McGregor/ Floyd Mayweather blueprint, the 36-year-old could cash in on a similar type of spectacle with the highly popular (and undefeated) Fury.
Fury is currently in talks to face former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk sometime in 2023. Uysk now holds the IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO & Ring heavyweight tiles after jumping up a weight class in 020 and winning back-to-back battles with Anthony Joshua. Taking Fury’s WBC belt would make Usyk an undisputed champ in two classes. However, as all boxing fans know, negotiations can be a slow and tedious process. So if Fury doesn’t dance with the Ukrainian soon, Ngannou is next on the hit list.
“Francis Ngannou, I know you’re out of contract with the UFC,” Fury said in an interview with Seconds Out. “You want to earn some big boy money? Come see ‘The Gypsy King’ and let’s do a big, big fight for the baddest MF on the planet.
“Let’s kick it up spicy, in a cage, four-ounce gloves under Queensbury and let’s have a badass referee like ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. Did I just sell that to the world?”
“If the contract doesn’t get signed with Usyk next for the fight of the century in boxing then we’ll do the Ngannou fight,” Fury added, noting that while negotiations with Usyk are going “really, really well,” nothing about the bout has been finalized.
“Whether it’s going to be in Las Vegas or Wembley , who will know—we will know quite soon I think.
Ngannou seems equally keen on the idea. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, the former UFC champion was clear he wants either Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua as his first opponents in the ring.
“Whatever it is, if it is with Tyson Fury, I will take it. I have no problem doing boxing with 4oz gloves,” Ngannou enthused.
“We will figure it out. Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua would be my first ideal opponent.”
At this stage, no formal discussions have begun between the camps. Yet, it seems that the Fury and Ngannou crossover we’ve all wanted will happen sometime in the future.
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