Francis Ngannou: "I'm Not Done With Boxing"; Deontay Wilder His Opponent of Choice

Francis Ngannou knows his time in the ring is running out – which may explain why the Professional Fighters League Super Fights Heavyweight Champion is so eager to share his pugilistic bucket list.

"I will do boxing next," Ngannou told Sportsbook Review when asked what was next for the 38-year-old Cameroonian. "I want to. I’m not done with boxing. It’s not that MMA is easy – it’s the sport that I understand better and I have more experience in – but I say go for boxing."

Not only does Ngannou have his combat arena of choice, he has also identified who he would like to battle next. And as you might expect for a fighter with Ngannou's reputation and ego, he has his sights set on a huge name: Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

"(I'm passionate about fighting Deontay Wilder) because there's an 80% chance that somebody will go to sleep," Ngannou told Sportsbook Review. "It will be one or the other."

Ngannou on Wilder: "I know I hit harder"

Wilder, who hasn't stepped into the ring since losing by TKO to Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia last June 1, told Sportsbook Review prior to that fight that he was eager to unleash the meaner side that guided him to a five-year title run in the late 2010s. And while back-to-back losses subsequently sent him into quasi-retirement, Ngannou expects a refreshed Wilder to present a significant challenge.

"Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out," Ngannou said. "I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder.

"I'm saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove ‘no, it’s me (who hits harder). Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay? Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind."

Concerns over whether Wilder – who was clearly overmatched against Zhang – can still be competitive in the ring don't faze Ngannou, who has heard that kind of talk himself.

"That's what they said about me back in 2018," he said. "I was just getting started. With this sport, there are ups and downs. For some reason when you are in your downs, people always find some scenario like, 'He's done, he's old, he wasn't what he thought he was.'

"I heard the same thing about me back in 2018, long time before I even became a champion."

As for whether that bout will take place anytime soon, Ngannou is less certain following a conversation he had with Saudi promoters while visiting the area to attend the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight rematch in December.

"We didn't have that opportunity (to plan my future) but we exchanged words obviously about that," he told SBR. "(Saudi Arabian Royal Court adviser) Turki Alalshikh said he was working on something big for me this year. He said we have to do something big – either Jon Jones or Wilder. That’s what he told me personally."

Ngannou-Jones super-fight likely dead?

A Ngannou-Wilder bout would draw interest, for sure – but nothing would approach a Ngannou-Jones tilt in terms of fight hype, with both men widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Some sportsbooks have even hosted hypothetical UFC odds for the fight at various points during the life cycle of the discussion in hopes the bout would actually happen.

Will fight fans finally be rewarded for their patience? Ngannou said it "could potentially happen" – but he isn't holding his breath.

"If you can get past (UFC president) Dana White, it could happen (but) that's a massive obstacle," said Ngannou, who left the UFC in January 2023 to join the PFL. "But personally I don't care. I'm doing well. I'm doing my stuff at my pace. I don't care. That won't change my sleep for me.

"Finishing my career without fighting Jon Jones) would be okay. I have tried to fight Jon Jones for four years since I fought Jairzinho Rozenstruik back in 2020. I've been trying to fight Jon Jones and then they were holding it out like a trap until the moment that I was about to leave and then they said, 'Okay, here’s the Jon Jones fight.'  But it was bait. I felt they were very tricky."

Ngannou acknowledged that he would still welcome a Jones tilt were it to materialize, but said there are many other fights he's also considering.

"Yes, Jon Jones would be a great fight, a fantastic fight," he told SBR. "I have always hoped for that fight (but) my hope and my expectation for that fight has faded over time."

Ngannou also threw some shade at the heavyweight version of Jones, who became the most accomplished light-heavyweight fighter in UFC history before moving up a class.

"I would not say that (he’s looking dominant at heavyweight)," Ngannou said. "I have a lot of fights to get a measurement of his light heavyweight career and I have way less to look at with him as a heavyweight. I think he's by far the best light heavyweight. (But) his cage time as a light heavyweight was over a decade. At heavyweight he has two fights. He has barely done three rounds.

Ngannou prefers Fury rematch over Joshua sequel

While Ngannou told Sportsbook Review his retirement is fast approaching ("In two to three years, I'm out,") he believes he has several fights in him – and teased a potential rematch with a high-profile heavyweight while ruling out a second go at another.

"I don’t know if I will rematch Fury, I hope so," said Ngannou, who lost via split decision in their memorable October 2023 bout. "I never expected to win that fight by decision. I wasn't surprised. I was sad and people were arguing. But that's just how this game works."

As for a potential return engagement with Anthony Joshua, Ngannou cited concerns over "fairness" in how the two fighters were handled prior to their March 2024 showdown, won by Joshua via a second-round knockout.

"I don't think there will be fairness because there will always be the same people organizing the fight," Ngannou told Sportsbook Review. "The same thing could probably happen. Would it be fair? Would it be anything different in the rematch, could they guarantee that? It’s a dirty game.

"I was in the locker room for over four hours. Now looking back at it, I'm like, "What the hell was that?" I have never seen something like that. But that was on purpose. I got in the arena around 11 p.m. and I was told by a producer that the fight would be around 1 a.m. But AJ arrived at the arena at 1am. If we were supposed to fight at 1 a.m., he should have been there at the same time as me because we were fighting together."

Ngannou went on to add three other notable names to his potential end-of-career bucket list.

"(Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven) could happen, but I don't know," he said. "I have a few fights left. I focus on very few fights, not on options. There’s a lot of options.

"Rico is an option. (British boxer) Derek Chisora is an option. (Ex-heavyweight champ) Wladimir Klitschko could be an option."

Jake Paul not "at the level of Canelo"

Ngannou's wish list doesn't include Jake Paul, but he has still been watching the YouTuber-turned-boxer closely. Could Paul hold his own in a long-rumored fight against one of the world's most decorated fighters in Canelo Alvarez?

"Jake Paul has become a real boxer, but I don't think he's at the level of Canelo," Ngannou told Sportsbook Review."I think we can all agree that over time he has become a boxer. Not at the level of Canelo, but we can all agree that he is a legit boxer now."

"Now, the component that is very important that I have to raise here is the weight class. There’s a huge difference of weight between them both which could be advantageous for Jake Paul and it could compensate for his level of boxing compared to Canelo. I think it's still going to be tough."

Ngannou also addressed reports that Paul (who is 11-1 with seven knockouts for his boxing career) might make his first foray into mixed-martial arts later this year. He said Paul would be wise to approach his MMA career similarly to how he kicked off his boxing ledger.

"All the elite MMA fighters have to start somewhere," Ngannou said. "They had a day one. They had their first fight. He will have his first fight and I cannot judge him beforehand. I will judge him after. I will decide if he's good, if he's not good or if he needs to improve this or that after the fight.

"I think he will meet a fighter that is also at the beginning of his career and doesn’t have much experience. Regardless of his passion or his fame, they’ll need to find an opponent that is on the same starting level, an early pro."