Francis Ngannou made his debut in the boxing ring on 28 October. The Cameroonian, a former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, began his English adventure against one of the greatest legends in the history of the sport and, to everyone’s surprise, did not disappoint. According to Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua’s manager, a rematch is already in the pipeline.
Now 37, it’s easy to think that Francis Ngannou is nearing the end of his career in combat sports. Not so! The Predator looks set for a full 2024, having fought just once in almost two years. It’s true that the Baltié native is in a category that favours longevity. During his MMA career, the UFC used him very little (once a year on average), which greatly limited the damage he suffered. From now on, Ngannou seems to be focusing more on English boxing, and despite his decision loss to Tyson Fury, he’s already back for more.
Ngannou vs Fury II, already a done deal?
During his appearance on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, hosted by Ariel Helwani, promoter Eddie Hearn claimed that the second instalment of the rivalry between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou was “almost a done deal”: “I contacted Francis Ngannou and his team to tell them that we were ready to negotiate the organisation of a fight against Anthony Joshua. He never replied. Knowing a bit about the business, I think Ngannou vs Fury 2 is already scheduled and almost signed for after Fury vs Usyk. After the first fight I think Ngannou is convinced he can beat Fury. Until the rematch, it’s not in his interest to fight a lesser name.
“He has to make the most of it
On 17 February, Tyson Fury will attempt to unify all the world heavyweight titles when he faces Oleksandr Usyk, with whom he shares the common feature of having no defeats on his record. It is after this fight that Eddie Hearn imagines the rematch will take place. In the meantime, Ngannou could even take a trip to the PFL: “I think he (Ngannou) can lose to the entire top 50 heavyweights, so he needs to make the most of it. There are only three fights where he can get the money he’s hoping for: Fury, Joshua and Wilder. I think he’ll fight at the PFL in the spring or summer, and then he’ll get his rematch against Fury at the end of 2024.”
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