Tyson Fury Calls Out UFC Champ Francis Ngannou For Heavyweight Crossover Fight
Who ya got?
Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou are two of the most feared men in combat sports–and now they’re trading jabs on Twitter about a potential boxing/UFC crossover megafight.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury, who stopped Deontay Wilder in their thrilling trilogy fight last October, teased a future boxing match against Ngannou on Thursday.
In an effort to sweeten the deal, Fury claimed he’d be willing to face Ngannou in the ring wearing the UFC’s four-ounce gloves, rather than traditional 10-ounce boxing gloves.
“Who would like to see me fight this beast boxing rules [UFC] gloves,” Fury wrote in his tweet, tagging Ngannou and UFC president Dana White.
Ngannou responded that he’d box the undefeated Fury after defending his UFC heavyweight belt against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on January 22.
“After I handle business on Jan. 22 I’ll fight you under any special rule set you want. In a ring, an octagon or a phone booth,” Ngannou shot back.
While the crossover clash might be tantalizing to fight fans, it’s not happening anytime soon.
The undefeated Fury is expected to face his WBC mandatory title challenger Dillian Whyte next. If Fury prevails, he could fight the winner of this year’s Alexander Usyk/Anthony Joshua rematch for the undisputed heavyweight boxing championship.
But a Fury/Ngannou superfight is not completely out of the question, according to ESPN:
Ngannou’s contract status with the UFC is interesting, however, in that he is on the final fight of his deal. If Ngannou were to lose to Gane at UFC 270, he would immediately become a restricted free agent.
That could open the door for him to sign with another promotion. If he retains his title, he would remain with the UFC under a championship clause.
Ngannou has publicly called for a big boxing fight for some time, previously claiming he could beat both Fury and Wilder in the ring. Perhaps fans of the sweet science will one day see if the UFC heavyweight champ can back up his words.