Francis Ngannou will make his debut in the noble art in this year 2023 confirmed his manager Marquel Martin. But maybe not against a big name.
Francis Ngannou, by signing with the PFL, has a special condition in his contract: he can go fight against whoever he wants, when he wants. This condition should allow him to face the best boxers at the moment if he has the opportunity, even if for Terence Crawford, it can be dangerous for him.
And for Marquel Martin, the manager of the ‘Predator’, to box in 2023 against a top athlete, Ngannou will surely have to wait and to the question of knowing if he should not face someone a little less good than a Tyson Fury or an Anthony Jushua (the latter is not interested for the moment), Martin answers this (via MMA Fighting):
“We talk about it often. We’d love for a big fight to come along, but it looks like it’s kind of stalled. So I think it will be a tune-up fight. Francis is not a traditional boxer, so every fight is a great fight. But I know Francis wants to challenge himself. Obviously, if you see Deontay, Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, we would love to see them face off. I think it’s something that has a narrative and a story behind it that’s bigger than just the fighting game, and at the same time we want to see who the baddest man on the planet is. I know Dana White just said that about Jon Jones and I think Jon Jones is the greatest, don’t get me wrong. But the baddest man on the planet? No, that’s not possible. Maybe acting baddest man on the planet or something. I think Francis has that title. »
For the manager of Ngannou, the ‘Predator’ will not only be able to box, but also bring a lot to Africa with his PFL contract:
“I think boxing is something Francis has always wanted to do. The UFC knows it. This is what will happen. We don’t know against whom. We had a lot of positive conversations. As you know, boxing is even crazier than MMA, so things take time. Obviously, we are in the era of social networks where nobody wants to be patient for anything, but I will say, without saying too much, that things are positive, that they are going in the right direction. I think people will be shocked at what will result. »
“And at the end of the day, it’s not just about the money. Francis wants to develop sport in Africa. Combat sports. Again, one of the reasons I fought for him so passionately is that this guy is bigger than himself. I used to say to him, ‘Brother, you realize you’re bigger than you think you are. You are not just destined to be a champion. You are supposed to be a figure for your compatriots, to give them hope, as you have done in your life.’”
“At the end of the day, people have to understand that he is not just doing this for himself, but also for Africa. What we’re going to do in boxing, I think, is try to get a fight there, whether it’s his next fight or whatever, we’re going to do it. Anybody else can go to Africa and put on a fight, that’s cool, but it’s different when it’s Francis.”
Now all that remains is to wait and see which fight Francis Ngannou will take. Fight to warm up in boxing or spectacular fight against a big name?
What do you think Francis will do?
