Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wants to see Oleksandr Usyk vs. Francis Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou impressively emerged onto the boxing scene in October last year, when he took Tyson Fury to a split decision in his debut.
Following that, the 37-year-old took a fight against the athletic Anthony Joshua and was unfortunately knocked out brutally in the second round.
Former UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, has called for a fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Francis Ngannou, despite Ngannou’s devastating loss last time out.
“I know it’s crazy and I know everyone is going to try and say something about it, but I would love to see (Usyk) fight a guy like Francis Ngannou.” Kamaru Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast.
Kamaru Usman calls on Oleksandr Usyk to test himself against Francis Ngannou Kamaru's 'crazy' statement.
كامارو عثمان يدعو أولكسندر أوسيك لاختبار نفسه ضد فرانسيس نجانو تصريح كامارو "المجنون".#mma #boxing #ufc pic.twitter.com/50Ctzycr1T
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) May 23, 2024
“Only for the sheer fact of, yes I want to see the level of skill here. Yes (Usyk) has schooled the other guys, but Francis is the biggest puncher out there and I want to see how Oleksandr Usyk is able to break a guy like that down.” Usman added.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and Francis Ngannou are good friends, and Usman even walked out with Ngannou for his boxing debut.
Usyk has already beaten the aforementioned Anthony Joshua twice, and if he doesn’t rematch Tyson Fury next, there aren’t many options for the 37-year-old.
“Yeah, (Usyk) has already beaten everybody else, he’s beaten everyone else.” Usman finished.
Co-host of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Henry Cejudo, did though offer a differing opinion and claimed that the ‘biggest winner’ of the fight was Tyson Fury because he gets to activate a rematch clause.
Oleksandr Usyk returned to the ring last weekend in Saudi Arabia for a historic fight. Oleksandr Usyk met Tyson Fury there. For his part, ‘The Gypsy King’ entered the duel after winning a split decision victory over Francis Ngannou last October.
The two heavyweights faced off to crown the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis achieved that feat in 1999. Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury faced off for 12 rounds. It was ultimately the former cruiserweight champion who won by split decision, inflicting his first defeat on the Briton.
In the days following this fight, Tyson Fury has already announced his intention to activate a rematch clause to face Oleksandr Usyk again. However, if the two teams decide to go in different directions, Kamaru Usman has another idea in mind.
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Francis Ngannou?
During a recent edition of his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman featured Oleksandr Usyk vs. Francis Ngannou. As ‘The Predator’ comes off a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua and is in full mourning, Usman is conscious. However, he wants to see Usyk try to deal with the power of the former UFC champion.
“Skills pay the bills here. He’s not the biggest heavyweight or the biggest puncher, but it’s his skills that pay the bills. I would love to, and I know it’s crazy and everyone is going to say something about it. But I would love to see him fight a guy like Francis Ngannou. Only for the simple fact that, yes, I want to see the skill level here. »
He also adds: “Francis is the biggest hitter. But I want to see how Oleksandr Usyk is able to break down a guy like him, take him to school and really show the skills required in boxing. It’s not just about being able to hit hard. That’s the only reason I would want to see him… He beat everyone else. » An idea that may interest a lot of people, but for the moment quite complicated to achieve. The promoter of the ‘Gypsy King’, Frank Warren declared that a rematch should take place this fall, in Saudi Arabia but for the moment nothing has been done.
