Francis Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin expects to have a tune-up boxing bout before jumping into a big-name fight.
Ngannou’s monumental new deal with PFL has given ‘The Predator’ the freedom and terms that he always wanted. Along with being chairman of PFL Africa as well as many other perks, Ngannou has also been given the freedom to box out with the PFL banner, hoping to secure a fight with big-name heavyweights such as Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua.
However, Ngannou will not return to competition until mid-2024 with either a fight on the PFL’s new super fight division, or a boxing match o the table
Francis Ngannou manager discusses future
The one thing Ngannou does have is options, and while the 36-year-old is not getting any younger, he and his management team are planning the best route to optimize his new position.
Talking on The MMA Hour, Martin would discuss Ngannou’s next steps and didn’t rule out a tune-up boxing match.
“We go back and forth on that all the time,” Martin said. “We’d love if one of the big fights present himself, but it seems like they’re kind of tied up. So I guess tune-up fight. Francis isn’t a traditional boxer, so every fight is a big fight. But I know Francis wants to challenge himself.
“Obviously, you see Deontay out there, Anthony Joshua out there, Tyson Fury out there, we’d love that matchup. I think that’s something that has a narrative and a story behind it that’s bigger than just the fight game, and at the same time, we want to see who the baddest man on the planet is.” (H/T MMAFighting)
Ultimately, while money is important, it is not the deal breaker for Ngannou and the Cameroonian plans on giving back to those who need it.
“And at the end of the day this is not about just money,” Marin said. “Francis wants to develop the sport in Africa. Combat sports. Again, one of the reasons why I fought for him so passionately or whatever you want to call it is because this dude is bigger than himself, the fight game.”
What would you like to see Francis Ngannou do next?