Francis Ngannou is still considering the possibility of a boxing bout with Anthony Joshua in Africa despite signing a new contract with the MMA organization PFL.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou has been a free agent since leaving the company and has been thinking about a career in boxing.
This year, Ngannou reportedly had bout talks with Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua, among other well-known boxers.
He recently said that he has signed for the MMA label PFL with the idea of making his debut in 2024 once he has secured a boxing match, even though no official move has been made past initial inquiries.
The Cameroonian star thinks that a match with Joshua in Africa would have the most appeal, even though a fight with Wilder seems to be Joshua’s priority currently.
“Anthony Joshua is a fight we like,” said Ngannou on The DAZN MMA Show.
“We spoke with Eddie [Hearn, Joshua’s agent] once but that was when Joshua was about to fight Franklin. If we bring this to Africa then it is going to be massive. I think this will get him excited, that he can fight in this continent.”
Given that British-born Joshua has vowed to fight in Africa because of his Nigerian ancestry, Ngannou’s projected entry into an African fight could be a significant pull for Joshua in the future.
As part of his comeback, Joshua is currently in advanced talks to take on Wilder in Saudi Arabia in December, but he will likely hold off until after a rematch with Dillian Whyte.
Eddie Hearn, the promoter for Ngannou and Joshua, has already talked about the potential match. But considering AJ’s duties to his boxing career, it is highly unlikely to take place this year.
After seeing the MMA star in Las Vegas to discuss his goal of a boxing career, Hearn claimed Ngannou is thinking about Joshua as a fight, but there has been no advancement in discussions yet.
