Francis Ngannou “Hopeful” Tyson Fury Fight Will Happen In The Summer

By James Slater - 01/28/2023 - Comments

While we wait for tonight’s big fight to get underway, and while we await 100 percent confirmation of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight being, well, 100 percent confirmed as on, maybe it’s not a bad time to discuss a big fight of the future that may or may not happen. This one, still in the discussion stage, will be BIG if it happens. Whether you like it or not.

For some months now, we’ve been hearing how MMA star and former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou wants to, and will try his hand at boxing. You know the story: how Ngannou grew up idolizing Mike Tyson, the youngster deciding that one day he would try and emulate “Iron Mike.”

A hugely successful MMA career got in the way, but now, free from his UFC contract, Ngannou is heading towards his boxing debut. Make no mistake; it will happen. But against whom? Tyson Fury is the guy Ngannou is focused on, and Ngannou has been in some kind of talks with Tyson’s team.

These two giants had some fun in the middle of the ring back in April of last year, this after Fury had seen off Dillian Whyte, and the hype began then. So will Fury and Ngannou actually fight?

We’ve heard Fury’s ultimate plan, with Mike Tyson to be the referee when “The Gypsy King” rumbles in the cage with Ngannou, this under boxing rules but with 4oz gloves. That might not happen (of course, it won’t happen!) But Fury and Ngannou may well fight in some capacity.

Ngannou says he hopes it will go down this summer.

“I’ve talked to some of [Tyson Fury’s] advisors, but they’re working on a fight with Usyk in April,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports this week. “So, until then, he will not be free. But I’m trying to see if we can have an agreement before that fight. That will also give me some time to get ready for a boxing fight. So I have no problem with the timeline that I’m expecting, that I hope will be sometime in June, July, which is doable. So let’s see.”

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Let’s see, indeed. You know the purists won’t like this fight one bit if it happens, yet you also know you will for sure, for darn sure, tune in if/when these two big men do rumble. The PPV price tag could be through the roof for this one, but the promise of guaranteed violence – be it one-sided carnage or, perhaps, something else – would pull us ALL in regardless.

Either instead of or, we hope, after he has fought Usyk, Fury WILL fight Ngannou. It seems inevitable.