Francis Ngannou Teases Next Move – Reveals His Top Choice

Francis Ngannou (0-2, 0 KOs) was last seen in the boxing ring being brutally stopped by Anthony Joshua in the second round. Despite this defeat, Ngannou has spoken about his desire to return to boxing. The ex-UFC star and current PFL fighter appeared on the Ariel Helwani Show and revealed his top pick for his next move would be a boxing match against Deontay Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs).

Francis Ngannou Eyes Boxing Return After Joshua Loss

Ngannou Reveals Wilder Plans

Ngannou certainly made a memorable splash in the boxing world when he faced Tyson Fury, losing by split decision, with a score of 95-94 for Ngannou being overturned by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 for Fury in a sanctioned ten-round heavyweight clash. This narrow defeat saw him move onto Joshua, who dealt with the ex-UFC star in devastating fashion.

Wilder had lost 4 out of his last five fights before defeating Tyrrell Herndon on June 27. The Alabama native was one of the most feared heavyweights on the planet before his taxing trilogy against Tyson Fury. Large periods of inactivity followed the third Fury fight, before defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. Following his comeback win over Herndon, it remains to be seen just how much Wilder has left.

When speaking to Ariel Helwani, Ngannou was asked if he was actively pursuing the Wilder fight: “Yes, I do. We haven’t engaged personally, but it’s gonna be soon,” said Ngannou.

Helwani then asked the PFL star if talks would happen soon, and he said: “Yeah. We’re setting some things up, but I keep training.”

Deontay Wilder: Top Choice for Francis Ngannou

“I would say so,” said Ngannou regarding Wilder being his number one choice for his next fight in any sport.

It’s difficult to know what each has left in the boxing ring. Yes, Wilder did return with a win, but his timing looked off with the right hand, but that could be down to inactivity. After the AJ defeat, Ngannou has a lot to prove in the boxing ring and will be desperate to get a win. The winner of this rumoured bout could move onto one last big fight after the that, but a Deontay Wilder vs Francis Ngannou fight feels like a last shootout for both.