Deontay Wilder teases potential fight with UFC champion Francis Ngannou: ‘It was mentioned to me before’
Former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder has teased a potential future fight against undisputed UFC heavyweight titleholder, Francis Ngannou, claiming the bout was mentioned to him in the past – with both him and his promoter sharing an interest in the clash.
Wilder, a former undisputed WBC heavyweight champion, is currently riding a two-fight losing skid against current champion, Tyson Fury – dropping back-to-back rematch and trilogy fight knockout losses to the Manchester native.
Scheduled to return to the squared circle later this month, Wilder, a devastating knockout artist, is set to clash with Robert Helenius at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York – attempting to score his stunning forty-third career victory.
Deontay Wilder claims a Francis Ngannou clash was floated before
Sharing his thoughts on a potential future fight against Cameroonian knockout artist, Ngannou, Wilder, who recently attended Dana White’s Contender Series events at the UFC Apex facility and has trained extensively at the UFC Performance Institute in ‘Sin City’, claimed a fight with the Batie native was previously discussed.
“I think that would be an intriguing fight, and it would be a fight that would bring a lot of interest,” Deontay Wilder said of a fight with Francis Ngannou during an interview with Insider.
“It was mentioned to me before, and Al (Haymon) agreed,” Deontay Wilder explained. “There’s an old saying, ‘If it makes dollars, it makes sense.’ And he agreed as well. Who knows. We may see that fight in the future. And if we do? Oh, boy, what a fight to see. The future is bright.” (Transcribed by TalkSport)
For Ngannou, the undisputed heavyweight champion has been sidelined since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery following his successful title unification win against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 back in January of this year.
With his contract with the UFC currently up in the air as he remains subject to a ‘champions clause’, Ngannou, who has noted his desire to fight WBC heavyweight best, Fury in the future – insists he must be allowed to box professionally if he is to re-up with the Dana White-led organization.
