Francis Ngannou can’t help but notice that the whims of boxing champion Tyson Fury seem to change by the day.
“I have seen a lot of comments from Tyson Fury. At this point of stage, I’m a little confused,” Ngannou said Friday backstage at PFL 5 when asked about Fury’s latest remarks. “I don’t know if he’s, like, enjoying doing comments or enjoying fighting at this point. But anyway, as I said, I’m here and I’m ready, and my team has been working on getting in touch with him, with his team, which, so far we are not there yet. But yes, we are in the conversation.”
“It’s what I wanted. It’s always what I wanted,” Ngannou added. “But apparently Tyson Fury is pretty good at bouncing here and there. I don’t know exactly [what he’s doing], but I’m here and I want that fight. So whenever he really wants it, I’m here. … It’s been like three years that we’ve been going back and forth on social media.”
Ngannou’s comments on Friday came on the heels of Fury claiming in a live Twitter Space that the UFC sent him an offer for a “hybrid rules fight” with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The news was the latest development from Fury’s recent back-and-forth with Jones and UFC president Dana White over a potential superfight between the two stars.
Of course, that’s a position Ngannou knows well. The former UFC heavyweight champ and Fury have gone back and forth over a potential Ngannou vs. Fury superfight for years, with Ngannou even making a surprise appearance in the ring alongside Fury in April 2022 following Fury’s win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.
Ngannou’s desire to box Fury — or any other heavyweight boxing star — was actually one of the tipping points that led to Ngannou’s departure from the UFC; the promotion always resisted the idea of allowing Ngannou to chase a payday in boxing while under contract. And Ngannou isn’t oblivious to the reality that White suddenly seems very interested in getting something done between Jones and Fury now that “The Predator” is gone.
“Oh, that was never an idea when I was in the UFC, and then now that I’m not in the UFC, I think everything is all about how to take down Ngannou,” he said. “But Ngannou stands up. Nothing’s going to take me [down]. I’m going to be here for a while.”
Ngannou went on to discuss his latest conversations with Deontay Wilder, his relationship with Jones, his goals in boxing, and more. That interview can be watched above.
