Despite all the success in MMA, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou always wanted to return to his first goal, boxing. He had a chance to fulfill that earlier this year when he took on Tyson Fury in a boxing match. The announcement of the fight between Fury and Ngannou came as a shock to fans as well as pundits. During the build-up to the fight, Ngannou was dismissed by most fans as well as pundits.
However, on the night of the fight, ‘The Predator’ put on a performance that many believed should have earned him the win. Unfortunately, despite all the hype in the build-up, it was reported that the fight between Fury and Ngannou sold only 67,500 PPVs.
Despite the performance at the box office, ‘The Predator’ took to Instagram to thank Fury for stepping into the ring with him. In the caption he said,
“I really want to thank @tysonfury for his sportsmanship and for giving me the opportunity to step into boxing on the world’s biggest stage.”
View this post on Instagram
He continued,
“What a way to make my boxing debut and to bring together the two sports that I love. Thank you Gypsy King.”
After his recent performance, what will Francis do next? Will he box again before the end of the year? Let’s take a closer look.
Francis Ngannou to box again before the end of 2023?
After his performance against Tyson Fury, ‘The Predator’ became hot property not just in the world of MMA, but boxing as well. There were several names thrown around for his next fight, including the likes of Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. Proper Eddie Hearn even stated that he wanted to create a Rumble in the Jungle part two between Joshua and Ngannou.
We will most likely see Francis Ngannou vs Dereck Chisora on December 23rd. I will provide extra details this week. This is pending on Ngannou being ready for that date.
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) November 4, 2023
Despite all the interest, it appears as though there is a front-runner to face Ngannou before the end of this year. According to reports by Boxing Kingdom, Ngannou will face Dereck Chisora on the 23rd of December. While it has not been confirmed yet, the timing makes a lot of sense.
‘The Predator’ is not injured, so he can make a quick turnaround. Additionally, there is a lot of hype around Ngannou at the moment given his performance, so it makes all the sense in the world to strike while the iron is hot.
