As he juggles between the fabled crossroads of choice: one path leading to boxing, the other to MMA—Francis Ngannou sat down for an interview to discuss his future plans. His boxing career might have witnessed a downswing; however, Ngannou’s stretch in the mixed martial arts remains strong. Despite an impressive performance against a reigning heavyweight champion, he lost his boxing debut. Unfortunately, things didn’t look up in the next outing either. ‘The Predator’ suffered a shocking loss to Anthony Joshua early in March this year.

That said, things may take a turn for the better. Though talks surfaced last year, discussions about a potential matchup with Deontay Wilder have once again gained momentum. In the cage, Ngannou proved why he was still one of the best fighters around. The former UFC heavyweight champion, who joined the Professional Fighters League last year, marked his return with an emphatic win over Renan Ferreira.

Anything new with the Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou bout?

Given the current buzz, the TMZ interview began with the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson show. “It just hurt me to see Mike there in that situation,” said Francis Ngannou. He has good enough reasons to feel so. Last year, in a move that surprised many, he roped in Mike Tyson to his corner for his debut against Tyson Fury.

He has nothing but love and admiration for Mike Tyson. Despite being 58 years old, the former heavyweight champion displayed immense courage and stepped into the ring against an opponent 30 years his junior. While discussing his brief exchange with Jake Paul, Ngannou dismissed any likelihood of a face-off against ‘The Problem Child’. Unlike many who criticized the Paul-Tyson event, Francis Ngannou believed the MVP-Netflix card advanced both the sport and entertainment.

“What is next? I know the last time we talked, you mentioned Deontay Wilder. We ran into Deontay Wilder; he couldn’t have been nicer talking about you and all you’ve gone through, and then he said, Let’s talk. Is that still a fight that interests you?” the interviewer asked.

Francis Ngannou explained that following his last conversation with Deontay Wilder, ‘nothing has changed’. Otherwise, the fight remains on his radar. It’s one of those engagements he looks forward to before he decides to hang the gloves for good.

The road ahead in the sport

The reporter wanted to know whether the French-Cameroonian would enter the squared circle before his next foray into the octagon. Ngannou responded that he would wait for some time to see if the PFL guys pull up any fight for him. If there’s nothing on the horizon, he might switch gears to boxing. Nonetheless, given that he can easily move between the two platforms, the issue doesn’t bother him that much.

In a recent interview with TMZ, even Deontay Wilder seemed optimistic about a potential matchup with ‘The Predator’. During their three outings, he gave Tyson Fury tough competition, so Wilder could be confident about challenging the French-Cameroonian fighter.

If their fight makes it through, do you think a win over Ngannou could revive Wilder’s career? Tell us in the comment section below!