DEONTAY WILDER appears to be on board with the idea of facing Francis Ngannou, a former UFC champion and boxing novice, in a crossover clash next year.
The former WBC world champion returned to action towards the end of June, yet that version of Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs), represented a far cry from the typically ferocious ‘Bronze Bomber’.
Nevertheless, the 39-year-old took care of business in relatively convincing fashion against Tyrell Herndon, a previously little-known heavyweight, whose negative performance was ultimately halted in the seventh round.
Prior to that, Wilder had found himself on the receiving end of back-to-back defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, both of them creating two largely one-sided spectacles.
Against Parker, the American was forced to withstand a punishing beatdown through 12 rounds, whereas Zhang simply just steamrolled him with a five-round demolition job.
As a result of those two fights, in particular, Wilder has remained far removed from the top-end of his division and, quite naturally, should be staring down the barrel of an imminent retirement.
But instead of sailing off into the sunset, it would seem that the once formidable knockout artist has set his sights on a potential assignment against Ngannou.
The former MMA star has amassed just two fights as a professional boxer, losing on both occasions to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
A somewhat promising debut saw the Cameroonian floor Fury – only for him to then lose a contentious split decision – while his tangle with ‘AJ’ was halted with a truly devastating second-round finish.
That performance, alone, looked likely to end Ngannou’s pugilistic dreams for good, yet somehow, it seems that the 38-year-old is eager to roll the dice once again.
This time around, however, his exploits in the ring could take place against a faded version of Wilder, who Ngannou opted to call-out via social media just yesterday.
“It’s time to finally settle the debate, ‘Bronze Bomber’,” Ngannou wrote on Instagram, as if to suggest that their possible fight would crown the hardest-hitting combat sports athlete of all time.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, Wilder’s long-term manager, Shelly Finkel, has opened the door to a potential crossover dustup in 2026.
“Deontay would be open to that fight next year,” Finkel told Sky Sports.
