Former UFC heavyweight champion and current combat sports free agent Francis Ngannou is trying to land a boxing match with Tyson Fury.
Both parties have expressed interest in creating a fight, and now, according to Ngannou, initial talks with Fury’s team have begun. Since walking away from the UFC after failed negotiations, Ngannou is planning his next step in combat sports, and he hopes Fury is available in the summer.
“I have talked to somebody, some of his advisors,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “They are working on a fight with (Oleksandr) Usyk on April. So, until then, he will not be free. But I’m just trying to see if we can have an agreement before that fight.
“That will also give me time to get prepared for a boxing fight. So, I have no problem with that timeline that I’m hoping, I’m expecting, will be sometime in June, July, which is doable.”
It’s a frequent occurrence in the boxing world for a fighter to have more than one fight at a time on their plate. For a recent high-profile example, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia have been in talks about a big fight, but “Tank” took a fight against Hector Luis Garcia earlier this month while the deal is still being negotiated.
Ngannou is hoping he will be able to secure a deal with Fury to compete after he faces Usyk, but everything is still in the early stages.
“Let’s see, I think it’s too early to make a conclusion,” Ngannou said. “It’s too early to say anything about it, but it’s definitely something we are looking at. We are looking into it.”
If Ngannou and Fury cannot make a deal, former boxing champion Anthony Joshua is another marquee competitor that could welcome the former UFC champ to the boxing world. However, Ngannou would prefer Fury if at all possible, considering the build that has been brewing.
“We’ve been talking about this fight for the past two years,” Ngannou said. “I think at this point, the people are waiting for this fight, and talking about this fight more than the Joshua fight. Although the Joshua fight was still a massive fight, I will say both fights will be in the same magnitude of a fight. We are kind of advanced in the willing to fight with Tyson Fury, and it looks like that’s the way to go primarily. Maybe Joshua will be another option.”
