We have all seen the damage Deontay Wilder’s punches can do when they are encased in boxing gloves, but might “The Bronze Bomber” prove to be an even more lethal force when wearing four-ounce mitts?
We might just find out. Wilder has, for some time now, been floating the idea of him getting in the cage for an MMA fight, and now, in light of how big a global star Francis Ngannou is due to the way he shocked the hell out of Tyson Fury, Wilder is again saying he would like a fight with Ngannou – maybe two, one on the ring, one on the cage.
Wilder, who spoke with Blue Blood Sports, said that he was supposed to welcome Ngannou into the world of pro boxing, not Fury. Now, Wilder says he is serious about wanting to try his hand at MMA.
“People don’t know me, and Francis was supposed to fight first,” Wilder said. “Certain things came up, business, all I can say is it’s business. So that fight (Fury-Ngannou) took place, which is cool because Francis has made a name for himself, you know what I mean? I’m thinking about doing both, UFC and boxing, to keep the activity alive and keep it going. I’ll be a dangerous man in the UFC with those four-ounce gloves…..I broke the hitting bag machine with those four-ounce gloves. That was some real-ass stuff.”
There is no doubt about it, Wilder would do damage to anyone he fought in an MMA fight if he landed flush. However, would Wilder be given the chance to land even one blow before he was taken down by an experienced MMA guy? Wilder would have to get in there and pull off a ‘Ray Mercer-Tim Sylvia’ to avoid the seemingly inevitable take-down and pretty swift defeat. As tough as it is for an MMA fighter to make the transition to boxing, it is just as tough, or maybe even tougher, for a boxer to make the transition to MMA.
Ngannou did extremely well in the Fury fight, and maybe this has got people thinking – Wilder among them – that they could jump sports the way Francis did. It would for sure be interesting and possibly very exciting if Wilder did face Ngannou, or any big name in the MMA world. It’s already been far too long since Wilder had a fight (13 months and counting), and maybe this is another reason why the former WBC heavyweight champ is looking at both sports, boxing and MMA.
To repeat, we’ve seen the gale-force, hydrogen bomb-like punching ability from a gloved-up Wilder, and it’s been chilling. What might a flush blow from a Wilder fist that is protected only by four ounces do to an opponent should it land flush on his head or jaw? Wilder would have to do it fast though, or else.