Francis Ngannou says he's been in contact with Tyson Fury's camp, and while the Gypsy King's next boxing match will likely be against fellow heavyweight champ, Oleksandr Usyk, the former UFC champ says they could fight mid-year!
"I've talked to somebody. Some of [Fury's] advisors, but they're working on a fight with Usyk in April. So, until then, he will not be free, but I'm trying to see if we can have an agreement before that fight," Ngannou told TMZ Sports from Cameroon.
"That will also give me some time to prepare for a boxing fight. I have no problem with that timeline. I hope will be sometime in June, July, which is doable. Let's see. I think it's too early to make a conclusion. It's too early to say anything about it but it's definitely something that we're looking into."
Boxing’s Heavyweight Champion standing next to the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) April 23, 2022
Francis Ngannou says that him and Tyson Fury will fight under hybrid rules.
In a boxing ring but with MMA gloves. pic.twitter.com/UmndMNgyzX
Of course, Fury and Ngannou haven't been shy about expressing their desire to box -- under somewhat amended rules (think boxing with a hint of MMA) -- and the combat sports stars even came face-to-face in the ring last year after Fury beat boxing star Dillian Whyte.
Francis believes fans want the fight ... even more so than the long-anticipated Fury vs. Anthony Joshua matchup.
"We've been talking about this fight the past two years. I think at this point, the people are waiting for this fight and talking about this fight more than the Joshua fight," Ngannou said while noting Fury-Joshua is still a huge draw.
There's more -- we also asked Francis about his recent meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo, and whether the international soccer star gave him any advice on free agency after signing an enormous contract with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr.