The boxing world is buzzing with anticipation as the long-speculated bout between Tyson Fury and MMA fighter Francis Ngannou appears to be on the horizon. Combat sports insider Ariel Helwani reported on Friday that an announcement about the fight could be forthcoming soon. Ngannou has been vocal about wanting to face Fury for years, and the latter revealed during the 'Out of Interest' podcast that the MMA fighter was eager to step into the boxing ring.
Fury recalled, “There’s been a lot of talk of me and Ngannou fighting each other, and he wants to come to boxing, he wanted to fight me. He’s been talking a lot of stuff on Instagram, wants to fight. Was even at one of my last fights. Got in the ring, confronted me. There's potential, potential. We've had a lot of offers come in from the Middle East at the moment to host that fight this summer.” Ngannou echoed these sentiments, revealing in a TMZ Sports interview that he had been in touch with Fury's representatives.
The matchup between the two champions has been a topic of intrigue since Fury defeated Dillian Whyte in April 2022. Post-match, Ngannou joined Fury in the ring, and the pair openly discussed a potential bout featuring a hybrid of boxing and MMA rules. However, standing up against the undefeated Fury, 34, will undoubtedly be a herculean task for the 36-year-old Ngannou.
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