Wilder Teases An Ngannou Fight – ‘It’s A Matter Of Time, Stay Tuned’

Deontay Wilder has teased that a fight with Francis Ngannou could happen soon. 

The pair have been linked with a boxing fight for some time. Wilder was reportedly in talks to face Ngannou over a two-fight deal. The first would have been in boxing, and the other would have been in MMA. However, Ngannou decided to face Tyson Fury on his boxing debut. While he lost a split decision, the performance earned him a lot of praise. He eventually secured the Anthony Joshua fight. However, the Joshua fight did not go as planned, as he was knocked out in the second round. 

Wilder’s career is also at a crossroads. The 39-year-old has lost his last two fights, coming up short against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. The Zhang defeat was particularly devastating since he was knocked out in the fifth round. His record under his current trainer, Malik Scott, is not the best, with just one win from their last four fights. That was a 2022 knockout win against Robert Helenius. However, Wilder recently confirmed that his poor performances were due to an injury. 

Wilder’s Form

“We wanted to make sure I was physically healthy. I injured my shoulder, and then it healed. Then I fell on that same shoulder. So, I had to start that process again. Everything I threw my right hand, it would be nothing but pain. I’m fully healed. I don’t have no more pain and all my burdens have been cut loose from me. I still got to unify the division.

“That’s one of the main things that I came in for and a goal that I set forth. I never had the opportunity to get that accomplished due to other circumstances of different obligations of other people. I never had that opportunity, but I’m still here. I’m still young [39], and healthy. It feels so good to be so successful for what I’ve done,” Wilder said

Wilder On Ngannou

Wilder is scheduled to face Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in June in his next fight, knowing that a victory is vital for securing bigger fights. The Ngannou fight has the potential to earn him another lucrative payday. Reports indicated that Ngannou earned $30 million combined for the Joshua and Fury fights. If Wilder were to secure a similar number for not facing a professional boxer, he will do very well at this stage of his career. Ngannou has said that he wants to enter the boxing ring again, naming Wilder as a potential opponent. Wilder’s following comments suggest that a deal could be close.

“I don’t know how much I can say, but I’ll say this. Me and Francis, this fight always comes up. It just came up two more times, not too long ago to be exact. Not too far away, maybe a few months ago. We’re just trying to figure out how we want the segment to go, me and Ngannou. I’m definitely interested and he is as well.

“I guess it’s just a matter of time. Time is always the matter of all things. Then, you get a place and a date, and you start to promote and everything gets popping. I think it’s something that’s going to be created soon… Yeah, people can look forward to that one. I’m looking forward to that one. Stay tuned,” Wilder said 

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