As he juggles between the fabled crossroads of choice: one path leading to boxing, the other to MMA—Francis Ngannou sat down for an interview to discuss his future plans.
His boxing career might have witnessed a downswing; however, Ngannou’s stretch in the mixed martial arts remains strong. Despite an impressive performance against a reigning heavyweight champion, he lost his boxing debut. Unfortunately, things didn’t look up in the next outing either. ‘The Predator’ suffered a shocking loss to Anthony Joshua early in March this year.
That said, things may take a turn for the better. Though talks surfaced last year, discussions about a potential matchup with Deontay Wilder have once again gained momentum. In the cage, Ngannou proved why he was still one of the best fighters around. The former UFC heavyweight champion, who joined the Professional Fighters League last year, marked his return with an emphatic win over Renan Ferreira.
Given the current buzz, the TMZ interview began with the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson show. “It just hurt me to see Mike there in that situation,” said Francis Ngannou. He has good enough reasons to feel so. Last year, in a move that surprised many, he roped in Mike Tyson to his corner for his debut against Tyson Fury.
He has nothing but love and admiration for Mike Tyson. Despite being 58 years old, the former heavyweight champion displayed immense courage and stepped into the ring against an opponent 30 years his junior. While discussing his brief exchange with Jake Paul, Ngannou dismissed any likelihood of a face-off against ‘The Problem Child’. Unlike many who criticized the Paul-Tyson event, Francis Ngannou believed the MVP-Netflix card advanced both the sport and entertainment.
“What is next? I know the last time we talked, you mentioned Deontay Wilder. We ran into Deontay Wilder; he couldn’t have been nicer talking about you and all you’ve gone through, and then he said, Let’s talk. Is that still a fight that interests you?” the interviewer asked.
Francis Ngannou explained that following his last conversation with Deontay Wilder, ‘nothing has changed’. Otherwise, the fight remains on his radar. It’s one of those engagements he looks forward to before he decides to hang the gloves for good.
The reporter wanted to know whether the French-Cameroonian would enter the squared circle before his next foray into the octagon. Ngannou responded that he would wait for some time to see if the PFL guys pull up any fight for him. If there’s nothing on the horizon, he might switch gears to boxing. Nonetheless, given that he can easily move between the two platforms, the issue doesn’t bother him that much.
In a recent interview with TMZ, even Deontay Wilder seemed optimistic about a potential matchup with ‘The Predator’. During their three outings, he gave Tyson Fury tough competition, so Wilder could be confident about challenging the French-Cameroonian fighter.
Deontay Wilder has revealed he suffered a gruesome unknown injury before his last two boxing fights.
The former WBC world heavyweight champion lost to Joseph Parker by way of unanimous decision in December before suffering a fifth-round knockout at the hands of Zhilei Zhang in June.
It leaves the American heavyweight some way off the world title picture and a potential money-spinning fight against Anthony Joshua looks further away than ever.
Wilder became WBC world champion back in 2015 and defended his title on ten separate occasions before losing it to Tyson Fury in their second fight back in February 2020.
The ‘Bronze Bomber’ then lost to Fury for a second time in the final instalment of their epic trilogy in 2022 and has since struggled to reclaim former glories.
Wilder made light work of Robert Helenius with a one-round knockout in 2022 before struggling against Parker and Zhang.
Still, speaking to American outlet TMZ, Wilder revealed an unknown broken arm may have had an impact.
“I broke my arm way back in November sometime. I didn’t know,” he said.
“I had two tears on my shoulder. I could feel the pain, but I just thought it was old injuries. But I got an MRI [recently] and everything was f***ed up there, I didn’t know because I’ve got a high tolerance of pain.”
It seems a Deontay Wilder vs. Francis Ngannou super fight might actually happen … ’cause the Bronze Bomber tells TMZ Sports he’s down to begin negotiations now!
Ngannou, of course, said just a couple weeks ago he was hoping to get in the boxing ring with Wilder soon … and, when we caught up with DW out at LAX this week, he seemed very open to the idea.
In fact, he told us he wants to get Ngannou’s team on the phone and begin talks ASAP!
The two would make for an extremely compelling fight — especially considering how massive they are. Wilder checks in at 6-foot-7, 214 pounds … while Ngannou tips the scales at 6-foot-4, 257 pounds.
There isn’t much worry of a potential lopsided bout … as, after all, Ngannou nearly beat Wilder’s nemesis, Tyson Fury, back in 2023.
Then again, Wilder said he’s getting healthy now after finding out “everything was f***ed up” with his shoulder … and Ngannou was knocked out by Anthony Joshuain his most recent boxing match.
Regardless, Deontay made it clear he’s got nothing but respect for Ngannou — even sending his condolences to the former UFC star over the recent, tragic death of his infant son.
As for Wilder’s personal life, it hasn’t been the most smooth sailing year for the former heavyweight champ — but he told us he feels he’s cut some toxic people from his corner … and now, “the best is yet to come.”
Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is “over,” according to Top Rank boss Bob Arum, who did not hesitate one bit when he said those words.
Times have not been the best for the former world heavyweight champion. He recently showcased a rather disappointing performance against Daniel Dubois(22-2, 21 KOs) at the Wembley Stadium in London. After witnessing his devastating loss, Arum did not mince words while sharing his thoughts about Joshua’s future.
The fight saw Joshua getting floored four times by Dubois. He was then knocked out in the fifth round, allowing Dubois to keep his IBF Heavyweight title. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) later handed Joshua a 28-day suspension. While the suspension is a standard medical procedure following a knockout loss, which forces the fighter to take a much needed break.
Arum, however, felt that the break was unnecessary. “No, you don’t have an off night getting the sh*t kicked out of you that way. I just think AJ has been through a lot of wars. And I think it’s over for him as well as over for Wilder,” he said while talking to FightHub. With Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) coming in after two consecutive losses against both Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) and Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs), Arum even feels that it would be a good idea for the duo to face each other.
AJ’s promoter and Matchroom boss, Eddie Hearn, has a different plan in mind for his fighter. Speaking to TalkSport, he mentioned that he will be setting up a rematch between AJ and Dubois. “We have a fight with Riyadh Season. One of our options is to fight Daniel Dubois again, and our contract is with them. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh will deal with Frank and Daniel and make that fight happen. The terms will have to be agreed with them,” he said.
He further added that they had agreed to the terms and had an option for a rematch. Moreover, he stated that the rematch is a fight that Joshua is actually looking forward to. “Our meetings with His Excellency, he wants the rematch. AJ will always want the rematch. Daniel wants the rematch too. It’s the biggest fight for him, and they will fancy it,” he said.
Tyson Fury is confident he will knock out Oleksandr Usyk in their December 21 rematch.
Fury lost the first fight via a split decision to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. In his post-fight comments, the Gypsy King refused to accept the loss. He felt that Usyk had only been given the decision because of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Even after having rewatched the fight, Fury was adamant that he had comfortably won. He called Usyk an amateur, but the wider perception was that Usyk had done enough to win. The Ukrainian dominated the earlier and latter parts of the fight, while Fury’s success came in the middle rounds.
Usyk almost knocked out Fury in the ninth round, with him bouncing off the ropes before the referee imposed a controversial standing eight count just when a stoppage appeared likely. The rematch is not for undisputed since Usyk vacated the IBF Heavyweight Title.
Daniel Dubois, the current champion, defended the belt successfully by knocking out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round. Fury has plenty on the line, as a win would secure an undisputed title shot against Dubois. But even if there is a loss, there is the potential to face Joshua in a mega-domestic clash.
Given that Fury is coming off the first defeat of his career, there are question marks over whether he can bounce back. The Gypsy King felt that he would get his comeback. He singled out his rematch against Deontay Wilder in the second bout where he knocked him out. Fury was outboxing Wilder in the first fight before the Bronze Bomber dropped him in the final round.
That was enough to secure a draw, even if the majority of boxing fans felt Fury had done enough to win. Fury is using Wilder’s performance as motivation to come forward in this rematch. But it is important to bear in mind the following. Usyk fights very well when fighters are coming to him. This is due to his ability to counterpunch.
He sat in the pocket against Joshua in his two fights. He still managed to pick off his opponent, almost stopping Joshua in the first fight in the last round. While Fury will be looking to impose his size on Usyk, there is a risk that he will leave himself open by giving the Ukrainian a bigger target to hit. But if he can get his balance right, then Fury has a good chance of avenging his only loss.
“I didn’t think he beat me last time, and I’m damn sure not going to let him beat me this time. I’ve got to knock him out, and I’ll be training for a good knockout, and I’ll get it like Wilder 2. I said I was going to knock him out, and I did.
“I’m going to knock him out this time, and I will. Believe it first. He got the decision over me, and I got to run it back. It makes sense to do the rematch and get my victory back. I’ve got past the point of really caring. It probably took that decision to wake me up and give me the type of aggression back where I want to smash someone in,” Fury said
Oleksandr Usyk has said he is only interested in rematching Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Usyk secured the biggest career win, beating Fury via a split decision to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. It was the first time boxing had an undisputed champion since Lennox Lewisin 1999. The rematch takes place on December 21, but it will not be for undisputed. The Ukrainian dropped the IBF title, as Daniel Dubois became the full champion.
Joshua will box Dubois on September 21 for that IBF belt, with the winner in line to box either Fury or Usyk for undisputed. Usyk has already beaten Joshua on two occasions. He outboxed the Brit in both fights to become the Unified Heavyweight Champion. After winning everything in the sport, Usyk does not have many goals moving forward.
“Well, this is a rematch with Fury and possibly a third match with Joshua. Only with these two guys it is still interesting, from now on let the youth get fit and work … The logical line is that, apart from Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, I have no desire to box with anyone,” Usyk said
There are several other options Usyk could explore beyond that. His team has hinted at the idea of crossing over into BKFC. Conor McGregor, who is a part owner of BKFC, has been mentioned as a possible name. That fight increases Usyk’s profile while also giving him the chance to win a title in another sport. Usyk’s slick defensive skills and footwork do work in his favour.
There is also the chance to help the next generation of fighters. Usyk’s win over Fury was massive for Ukraine since the country is at war with Russia, providing the citizens with a morale boost. But given that Usyk is undefeated, he risks losing that record if he continues fighting for much longer as he is 37. Given the huge amount of money on the table and Joshua’s willingness to fight Usyk again, the Ukrainian could be attempted.
“He wants to beat Usyk. Because the first fight he had with Usyk, frankly he came out second best. He went away, he regrouped, he learned, he studied and he still got beat in the second fight. That’s why he got so disappointed in the second fight.
“It’s a split decision and it was close, but Anthony Joshua’s a very special type of sportsman. The money’s great. He’s got more than enough money, you could float a battleship if you put all his cash in one locker. But they want to win. These people want to win and they want a legacy. I don’t think Anthony Joshua will sleep at night until he is unified,” Eddie Hearn stated
But before a Joshua fight can be considered, Usyk must overcome Fury in his rematch. It was the Gypsy King’s first career loss, meaning he has more motivation to avenge the defeat. Fury has shown he performs best as an underdog, beating Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschkowhen the odds were against him. Usyk must guard against that.
Billy Joe Saunders has declared that Tyson Fury can beat Oleksandr Usyk “three times in one night” in their rematch: “I don't think there's a heavyweight out there that can outbox Usyk just picking for picking, but Tyson can beat Usyk three times in one night with one simple game…
Tyson Fury will knock out Oleksandr Usyk in their December 21 rematch.
That is according to Billy Joe Saunders. Fury suffered the first loss of his career as Usyk won a split decision. The result appeared close, but in truth, Usyk dominated most of the fight. He controlled the earlier and latter parts of the fight, while Fury’s success came in the middle rounds. The Ukrainian almost knocked out Fury in the round, but the referee controversially imposed a standing eight count instead.
Usyk defied the pre-fight narrative that Fury would overpower him. He walked down the Gypsy King, despite the latter being 40 pounds heavier and having a seven-inch reach advantage. Fury is expected to come more on the front foot, as he did against Deontay Wilder in the second/third fights, where he stopped the Bronze Bomber. That was a departure from the first fight, where Fury was boxing on the back foot. Saunders felt that if Fury pressed the action, he would come out victorious.
“I don’t think there’s anyone out there than can outbox Usyk. Tyson Fury, he can beat Usyk three times in one night with one simple game plan. It’s very, very simple how to beat him. You have to use your size. You have to use your physical advantages. Every attribute you have you need to use to full effect with this man,” Saunders said
Saunders also made comments that suggested that things were not all going well in camp. Reports indicated that Jai Opetaiahad dropped Fury in camp. The IBF Cruiserweight Champion was brought into camp to mimic Usyk’s southpaw style. Since he is a cruiserweight, he would have been much like Usyk. But Opetaia left camp early after claims he dropped Fury.
Johnny Nelsonbacked up comments that Fury had been dropped. However, coming into the fight, Fury was praised for his physique. He also trained from after the Francis Ngannou fight last year since the Usyk fight was rearranged twice. Although Fury suffered a cut, which saw the Usyk fight being rescheduled, there were no excuses from Team Fury. But Saunders suggested that there were issues in camp.
“I’m not making any excuses for him, but I know what went on in camp and what didn’t go on in camp. I know that, even when it came to sparring and other bits and bobs, there was stuff missing out of it that needs to be rectified this time. He’s asked me to go away [for] training camp with him, so I’m delighted to say I will be going away with him. I believe Tyson will win the next fight. And I believe that he will win by knockout as well,” Saunders stated
Nevertheless, if Fury comes on the front foot, it does play into Usyk’s hands. He is known for being a counter puncher, something which allowed him to sit in the pocket in the two Anthony Joshua fights. Should Fury press the action, Usyk has more of a target to hit, leaving Fury with a tough task.
It wasn’t that long ago that the career of Anthony Joshua as a pinnacle-level heavyweight looked quite uncertain.
Two years ago to the month, Joshua had what appeared to be a breakdown in the ring following a second agonizing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian had, nine months earlier in London, dished out 12 rounds of punishment on the unified world champion to take his WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, so the immediate rematch was AJ’s chance at revenge and to reclaim his straps.
There was a marked improvement from Joshua on that August night in Jeddah, but it was still not enough as Usyk put his foot on the gas in the championship rounds to shade a split decision and retain his three belts. Joshua reacted by throwing one of the belts out of the ring before grabbing the mic and launching an expletive-laden rant – actions he later said he regretted.
In the post-fight press conference, the former champion hid under his baseball cap and looked visibly broken. Questions were asked about whether he would ever mentally recover sufficiently to the point where he could once again rule the heavyweight division.
After some rest and recovery, Joshua hopped on a plane to the United States and returned to the lab, restarting his work with then-trainer Derrick James in Texas to build a third version of AJ – one that could take him back to the top of the heavyweight tree.
Joshua had been in a similar position before. For the first 22 fights of his professional career, AJ was a wrecking ball bulldozing its way through the heavyweight division. It was an approach that was perfectly effective as the British fighter raced to his first world title.
Then came the first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019 and the humiliation of getting stopped by a late replacement while using that same aggressive, attack-first strategy that had served him so well – on his American debut, no less. Joshua went away and focused on becoming a more well-rounded fighter. He continued to work with long-time trainer Rob McCracken but also brought in some outside voices.
AJ the brawler was being replaced by AJ the boxer. He entered the rematch with Ruiz six months later with a far more methodical and conservative strategy – and it worked as Joshua 2.0 eased to a points victory in Saudi Arabia to reclaim his belts.
But it came at an expense: Joshua had lost his edge. That imposing, fearsome knockout artist was nowhere to be seen. In his first fight as two-time champion, he took far too long to stop an ordinary Kubrat Pulev when he had the Bulgarian in trouble in the third round; it took AJ another six rounds to get it done.
Nine months later, in September 2021, was his first fight with Usyk. If there was ever a fight, the old Joshua need to come out, it was against the Ukrainian. Instead, he tried to outbox Usyk and stayed gun-shy throughout, and soon enough, the result was inevitable.
“When I looked at Mayweather he had two phases of his career – Pretty Boy and then Money May. And he just became smarter, so I was just trying to get smarter as a fighter, that’s all,” Joshua told the Boxing Social podcast.
“When I got beat by Ruiz, I had my health issues, but I kind of knew that at some stage I’m probably gonna come unstuck. Why? Because I didn’t feel like I was learning. I was fighting but I wasn’t learning.
“So that’s why after the first Ruiz fight I went through that rebuilding phase. Completely changed my style – stick, move, hit and don’t get hit. Then I tried to take that further on in my career with Usyk. He is the master of that s**t.”
Between Usyk fights, Joshua parted ways with McCracken and joined forces with Robert Garcia. It was a partnership that lasted just one fight: the Usyk rematch, and while there were visible improvements to his boxing skills, it still wasn’t enough.
That’s when Joshua made his way to Dallas to work with James and his stable of champions, including former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. It was time to start building Joshua 3.0.
At a critical time in his career, Joshua needed to marry his newfound and still developing skillset with the aggression and power that had been the foundation of his early years. He worked with James for two fights; an understandably cagey points win over Jermaine Franklin and a more encouraging stoppage of Robert Helenius.
Then along came Ben Davison. The trainer had established a strong reputation having guided the early part of Tyson Fury’s comeback, including his first fight against Deontay Wilder – and he’s continued to refine Joshua 3.0.
The aggression and spite were back in December for his impressive stoppage win of Otto Wallin, who took Fury to the scorecards, and he showed no mercy in March’s two-round destruction of Francis Ngannou – who also took Fury to the scorecards.
These are all encouraging signs from the past 12 months, but it’s fair to say this latest version of Joshua has yet to be truly tested by a top-tier opponent.
That test will come in three weeks when AJ faces IBF world champion Daniel Dubois in the headline bout of a stacked card at Wembley Stadium in London.
Dubois (21-2-0 20 KO) is in the form of his career and is improving quickly. He earned the IBF’s interim title in June with an eight-round stoppage of the unbeaten Filip Hrgovic, six months after a gusty final-round knockout of Jarrell Miller. He was later elevated to full champion when Usyk vacated the belt having agreed to a rematch with Fury.
‘Dynamite’ is more powerful, athletic, and better skilled than any of Joshua’s post-Usyk opponents. He has the tools to formulate and execute a game plan capable of defeating AJ. He is also full of confidence and belief.
Joshua, the more experienced fighter on this sort of stage, is considered the favorite and the best version of the two-time champion would be expected to emerge victorious.
Having gone through, in his words, several “rebuilding phases”, AJ will need to implement all he’s learned during his career. If he combines the more cautious stick-it-and-move approach with his spiteful finishing, then Dubois should be no match.
Should he secure an impressive stoppage, his chances in an Usyk trilogy bout would look much brighter – or indeed, his prospects in a long-awaited showdown with Fury.
Wladimir Klitschko has picked Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian has faced both boxers and came up short in those flights. Fury shocked the world to unify the heavyweight division when he outboxed Klitschko to a unanimous decision win in Germany. The rematch never happened, as Klitschko later faced Joshua. The Ukrainian dropped Joshua and almost stopped him. However, Joshua recovered to secure a late stoppage.
Since then, Joshua and Fury have gone in different directions. Fury became the WBC Heavyweight Champion after beating Deontay Wilder. Joshua lost his belts after consecutive losses to Usyk. However, the Brit has bounced with wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou as he now boxes Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt on September 21.
Fury suffered the first loss of his career against Usyk in his last fight as the Ukrainian became undisputed. They will rematch on December 21. If Joshua and Fury win their next fights, it sets up an undisputed British fight. Klitschko felt Joshua would come out with a win.
“Hands down Joshua. He is getting to be the complete fighter. Technically, size-wise, weight-wise, power-wise. And he is a good learner. The other guy [Fury], like a fart in the wind it is there and it is gone. In the history of boxing there are a lot of examples of this kind of guy.
“They can be successful for a time but are not disciplined enough to continue to be successful. I
wish Tyson well but I think there is a lack of discipline there, and discipline is more important than motivation. Drawing from my experience I would say it is going to be very difficult for Tyson because there’s that lack of discipline,” Klitschko said
The difference in discipline was shown by how Joshua and Fury reacted to their respective losses to Usyk. Joshua would change trainer, going to Derrick James and then Ben Davidson as he remained undefeated since then. However, Fury was pictured getting thrown out of a bar in his hometown after being drunk. Fury also struggled to accept the loss. He felt Usyk only got the decision due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Gypsy King also said he rewatched the fight and still felt he won, labelling Usyk as an amateur boxer. Fury’s previous struggles with mental health concerns are also something to keep an eye on. The drunken incident raised concerns that he may have been going through a tough period. While the Gypsy King appears in better spirits now, his brother Shane Fury has said he wants to see Fury retire after the Usyk fight regardless of the result. That would rule out a Joshua fight. But Fury has the motivation to come back from the loss for the first time.
“Counting down the days until I can get my redemption on Usyk. December the 21st is going to be my time. I’ve done everything in boxing, but I ain’t come back from a loss. And I relish it, the chance to come back and redeem myself. Get up! December 21st is all me. Undisputed here we come,” Fury stated
Deontay Wilder was offered a shot at the WBC bridgerweight title, after which manager Shelly Finkel spoke exclusively to World Boxing News.
Wilder gained a call-out from British fighter Lawrence Okolie, who recently took the green and gold belt from Lukasz Rozanski in Poland. Okolie confirmed his interest in facing Wilder weeks before reiterating that fact in another interview.
WBN gave those quotes to Finkel, who informed us of his position regarding Deontay Wilder moving from heavyweight south to 224 pounds.
“Please thank Lawrence Okolie for the offer, but we have no interest in the WBC bridgerweight title,” Finkel told World Boxing News exclusively.
Previously, Finkel had stated that it’s “too early to discuss whether Deontay Wilder will retire” following a knockout defeat to Zhilei Zhang in June before adding that he “had no comment on the news” of Wilder retiring a month later. He added to WBN, “At this point, Deontay Wilder has not retired.”
It’s not the first time Wilder had to fend off speculation that his future lay at bridgerweight. PBC presenter Brian Custer asked “The Bronze Bomber” when working with Showtime.
“My career is to be a heavyweight. That’s what I got in it for, and that’s what I’m going to end with,” Wilder told Custer. “Guys always outweigh me. So putting on weight is not a difficult part for me. My power makes up for all that,” he added.
After Zhang handed Wilder his third loss, WBN specifically called on WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman to confirm if he’d consider allowing his former heavyweight champion to have an immediate shot at the 224-pound belt despite two straight losses. Sulaiman told WBN, “Lawrence Okolie is our champion and has the mandatory fight versus interim champion Kevin Lerena. However, if Lawrence Okolie and Deontay Wilder reach an agreement, it could be a possibility.”
Okolie has since agreed to fight Lerena in a mandatory to be arranged, meaning Wilder is out of the running unless there’s a significant turnaround on all sides.
Due to his name and accomplishments in the sport, Wilder will continually be linked to big fights unless he confirms his retirement. The defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhang have seemingly irrefutable damage to his reputation, and any future offers may come against one of the up-and-coming heavyweights rather than on the path to a title shot.
A rematch with Zhang is already considered unwinnable for Wilder, while Parker is at a loose end and would consider a second fight if the money was right. Given Wilder’s performance in December, though, it’s unfathomable to see any serious money being put down for a Parker return.
It’s more likely that Wilder’s career has run its course as the world-renowned knockout puncher approaches his 39th birthday.
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