Zhilei Zhang claims he WAS in negotiations to fight Francis Ngannou on December 23rd card – but insists the MMA fighter-turned-boxer ‘didn’t want to do it’
A world boxing champion almost managed to secure a fight against Francis Ngannou for the end of the month.
The “Predator” made his boxing debut in October, against Tyson Fury. Although Francis Ngannou entered the clash as a huge underdog, he nearly shocked “The Gypsy King”. The PFL heavyweight scored a knockdown in the third round and even clipped the British boxer. In the end, the former UFC heavyweight champion walked away with a split decision loss. Francis Ngannou, however, did not have all bad news. This competitive fight earned him a place in the top 10 of the WBC heavyweight rankings. Furthermore, he almost got another big fight in December.
If he wants to seriously pursue a boxing career, his second showing must be equally as impressive. His choice of opponent will be of paramount importance.
Even if they were not already committed to other bouts, the likelihood of Ngannou landing a fight with Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua are virtually nil. Likewise their opponents, who are also top ten ranked heavyweights, Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker. Which makes Ngannou’s reported coolness on the idea of facing Zhilei Zhang all that much more strange.
EXCLUSIVE: Spoke to Zhilei Zhang this week who revealed he nearly fought Francis Ngannou on the Dec 23 Day of Reckoning card in Saudi – but the MMA star ‘didn’t want to do it’.
Full story below on @MailSport:https://t.co/tmrBUpN1MB— Oli Gamp (@oligamp) December 1, 2023
Francis Ngannou vs. Zhilei Zang
Earlier this week, Zhilei Zhang revealed he was in talks to fight Francis Ngannou on December 23. This date is now occupied by Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker. However, the Saudis originally wanted the MMA fighter to quickly turn around to headline the event.
Zhilei Zhang told MailSport about a potential boxing fight with Francis Ngannou:
“Initially there was talk of me fighting Ngannou [on December 23] and I said to myself: ‘Okay, it’s a walk in the park for me, I’ll take it’. “But Ngannou didn’t want to do it. And then this is what you see. The big names started coming in, like Joshua, to fill out the card. And that’s what happened. »
For the moment, Ngannou has not yet scheduled his return to the ring or in the cage. However, PFL director Donn Davis has long said that a potential fight with Deontay Wilder is the PFL’s goal for 2024. That fight could even happen under mixed rules.
