Francis Ngannou says he and Tyson Fury will “run it back” should he defeat the heavyweight boxing champion in their crossover clash this weekend, and revealed he would then want to take on Fury’s British rival Anthony Joshua.
Fury and Ngannou will go head to head in the boxing ring this weekend, in a unique heavyweight clash. Fury reigns as WBC heavyweight champion, while Ngannou will be making his boxing debut and fighting for the first time since leaving the UFC.
The Cameroonian retained the UFC heavyweight title last year before ultimately giving up the gold in January and joining the Professional Fighters League this spring. Ngannou, 37, will make his promotional debut with the MMA company in 2024, but first, he crosses into boxing to face Fury.
The Briton, 35, is unbeaten and on course for an undisputed-title fight with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia, if he can avoid a shock defeat by the heavy-handed Ngannou.
But if Ngannou, who is said to have the biggest punch in the world, is able to stun the ‘Gypsy King’ then plans for an undisputed-title fight between Fury and Usyk may be delayed.
“I think if I am victorious we are going to run it back, for sure,” Ngannou told Sky Sports. “Then maybe see Anthony Joshua for after,” he added.
Meanwhile, Usyk, 36, revealed that he will be ringside for Fury’s boxing match with ex-UFC champion Ngannou this Saturday night. The crossover contest is set to take place in Riyadh, where Usyk is contracted to box Fury sometime before the end of March.
“The promotion is impressive,” Usyk said of the build to Fury vs Ngannou. “And understandably, because this is a show that people are waiting for.
“This bout is bread and butter for Tyson Fury. When someone’s saying that Ngannou can drop him, I would probably agree, but I’m really not certain. Tell me: How could the guy with no experience in boxing beat a two-metre giant who’s been in boxing for 20 years?
“Yes, Ngannou is a UFC champion, I’m not disputing it; but UFC isn’t boxing. I’m 100 per cent sure that Fury will be victorious. But if Ngannou’s relatively got a puncher’s chance, and if he hypothetically happens to send Fury tumbling to the canvas, I’ll concede that I was talking gibberish. It’s better to wait, we’ll see everything in a while.”
