Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has warned Deontay Wilder not to face MMA and former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, following the Cameroonian’s impressive crossover fight with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia last month. Ngannou, 37, lost via decision to WBC world heavyweight champion Fury, 34, and he even scored a knockdown, which led to many believing that he should have won on his boxing debut.
Ngannou, who earned millions from the dust-up in the desert, is keen to stay in boxing, after proving he can belong among the top heavyweights in the division. And one fight that could be on the cards is a clash with Wilder, who like Ngannou, is seen as one of the hardest-hitting heavyweights in combat sports.
The two have one thing in common: They both scored knockdowns against the unbeaten Fury. However, Ngannou would like to compete in a potential mixed rules contest – which boxing promoter Hearn has warned Wilder against in favor of a bout with his fighter, two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua. Wilder hasn’t stepped inside the squared circle since his win over Robert Helenius late last year.
“It’s madness, have you seen his legs?” Hearn told Boxing Social. “If Ngannou kicks those legs, they will snap in two. I think Wilder should stick to the boxing and I think he should just have a boxing fight, he hasn’t boxed for over a year. Hopefully that could be [against] AJ, or he may end up getting the fight with Ngannou, who knows? We want to see Wilder back in the ring, not in the cage, because I’m not sure how that would go.”
Hearn has also claimed Ngannou tried to pitch the possibility of a fight with his man, AJ. However, Joshua’s goal is to become a three-time boxing world heavyweight champion. “The MMA world believe Ngannou beats everyone,” Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“When I met Ngannou he was trying to pitch me AJ against Ngannou in Africa. I spoke to AJ about it at the time and he said ‘I want to try to win the world heavyweight championship now’. I said ‘This guy was close to beating Tyson Fury so he surely has to be a credible fight’. The MMA world are telling me Ngannou beats AJ easily. I’m like Pleasee make the fight because that’s not the case.”
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Following Fury’s awkward, lackluster display in Saudi Arabia against Ngannou, rumors swirled surrounding another potential retirement – despite signing a deal for a world heavyweight unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk for Dec. 23. However, Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, has rubbished the retirement rumors.
“There is absolutely no truth in this, none whatsoever. Tyson is raring to go,” Brown said. The Dec. 23 unification fight is more likely to take place in the New Year, though. “The fight will happen before 2 March and it will be for the undisputed title and all four belts,” Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, said. “The IBF have given consent for that now and it’s all done. The fight is on. Everybody’s agreed, and it will be announced fairly soon.”
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