Ngannou Vs. Wilder ‘If He’s A Man Of His Word’

Do Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou have a verbal agreement to box each other later this year? Ngannou is certainly suggesting they do.

Not many people give Francis Ngannou much of a chance against Tyson Fury in a boxing ring … but what about Deontay Wilder?

Wilder has fought Fury three times over the past five years, going 0-2-1 against “The Gypsy King.” He returned to his winning ways in October 2022, scoring a quick first round knockout of former sparring partner Robert Helenius. There has been talk of “The Bronze Bomber” fighting Andy Ruiz, but recent chatter between Wilder and Ngannou suggests the two may have other plans.

After news came out that Deontay Wilder was stepping away from PBC promoter Al Haymon to become an ‘open fighter,’ Ngannou took to social media to stir things up.

“Welcome to the free world, Bronze Bomber,” Ngannou wrote on Twitter. “I hope you are a man of your word. See you soon #NgannouWilder.”

Ngannou also responded to Wilder’s claim that “The Predator” had turned down an MMA fight between the two.

“I said only boxing so he can keep his limbs,” Ngannou wrote, adding a laugh emoji. “Like I said we will see if he’s a man of his word.”

So clearly there’s some sort of verbal agreement in place between Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou. How serious those words were and whether they can carry the two big-money fighters all the way to a signed contract remains to be seen.

Ngannou has been courting several high-profile boxers lately, both with meetings and social media callouts. Francis recently accepted the proposed ‘mixed rules’ fight offered by Tyson Fury. He’s also spoken to Anthony Joshua’s manager Eddie Hearn. Now he’s calling on Deontay Wilder to follow through with their agreement. We figure whoever comes correct with an eight figure contract first can get that smoke.

But can Francis Ngannou actually beat any of these top boxers? To some, Deontay Wilder may be the best suited opponent. Wilder is known for his ridiculous knockout power, while his technical boxing skills are rarely lauded. That lines up nicely with Ngannou, who has never professionally boxed but packs a punch like a truck as well.

If we’re not going to see him back in the cage where he really belongs, we’d certainly enjoy seeing Francis vs. Deontay. What do you think, Maniacs?