Boxing

Francis Ngannou Eyeing Boxing Return Against Two Former Heavyweight Title Holders In 2025

Francis Ngannou tipped to face Tyson Fury or another former champion as he eyes Boxing return in 2025.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is eyeing his boxing return against two former heavyweight champions.

PFL chairman Don Davis has confirmed that Ngannou plans to compete in MMA and boxing this year. 'The Predator' has fought two professional boxing matches.

His debut against Tyson Fury was a spectacle as the ex-UFC champion shockingly dropped 'The Gypsy King' before losing a controversial split decision. According to the report, a rematch with Fury could be in the cards.

In his follow up match, Ngannou suffered a devastating second-round KO loss to Anthony Joshua, which prompted his return to MMA.

He made a return to MMA in 2024, earning a first-round finish over Renan Ferreira to become the PFL heavyweight champion. Davis has now confirmed Ngannou's future plans, telling The Sun:

I believe he'll box once in 2025 and he'll do MMA once in 2025. What order will be determined really by the opponents and the opportunities. And we're thinking about the same way. So I think it's too early to tell. Is it boxing and then MMA? Or MMA then boxing? But he'll do one of each in 2025.
Don Davis

Apart from Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder has been touted as a potential next opponent for Francis Ngannou inside the ring. Davis has welcomed both possibilities, adding:

I think he's open to either one. But if I knew, I wouldn't breach my confidence on his boxing stuff. What I know about Francis is A, he's very, very smart, and B, he really doesn't have any fear, as some other fighters do. They prefer things over other things, and I know that from when we talked to him about fighters on the MMA side, he'll say, 'That guy's much harder match up for me.' That guy stylistically could be difficult for me, but he never says, 'I prefer versus I prefer.' He just thinks this could be easier or harder or more difficult or you'd have to train differently, but he's open to everything.
Don Davis

Francis Ngannou is one of the most lethal knockout artists across any combat sport. Him potentially having a rematch against Tyson Fury or facing off against fellow knockout artist Deontay Wilder are exciting prospects for the fans.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.