Francis Ngannou has suggested "it is time" to make an official offer to fight Tyson Fury in the boxing ring following his departure from the UFC.
The Cameroonian star has been heavily linked with a clash against the 'Gypsy King' after announcing plans to pursue his ambition to compete in the boxing ring. The pair had agreed to a fight on social media and Ngannou travelled to the United Kingdom and confronted the boxing champion following his win over Dillian Whyte.
It looked previously unlikely that the pair could meet in the ring given Ngannou's contractual ties to the UFC, but news broke this week that he had vacated his belt and is free to explore new opportunities. And the former champion has claimed he would be open to a normal boxing fight despite talks of a hybrid-rules event.
He told the MMA Hour : "Yes, I still want to achieve something in boxing and I want to stay in MMA as well. I discovered MMA first in my life and I feel like I have some mileage to give in my sport. In a perfect world, I go out there get some boxing match then get some MMA, depending on the challenges that are out there.
"If they are out there, I want to fight the top guys in boxing. I don't know, I think Fury has retired and come back. I don't know where Fury is right now, but now it is time. Before, we could not do anything concrete beyond the social media stuff. Whatever it is, if it is with Tyson Fury, I will take it. I have no problem doing boxing with 4oz gloves, we will figure it out. Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua would be my first ideal opponent."
Ngannou believes he is the man that can dethrone the boxing champion, particularly given his explosive punch power, which saw him rise to the pinnacle of the division in the UFC. Fury would go into any contest as the huge favourite given his experience in the ring, having yet to be defeated as a professional.
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But Fury believes that any fight would likely be a toe-to-toe firefight given the one-punch power Ngannou has displayed in his career. "Yeah, he is definitely a machine that is for sure," Fury told ESPN of Ngannou. "He is definitely a good puncher and all that and, let's face it, it isn't a wrestling match or no grabbing or anything.
"It is just a stand-up punching battle with small gloves on. He has got big power and so do I, so whoever lands first is likely to get knocked out. So, as I say, I am certainly interested in that. Bring it on, big boy - you wouldn't last a round."
