24th April, 2022
Tyson Fury withdrew his retirement announcement within seconds by calling out UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The Cameroonian fighter travelled from his home in Las Vegas to Wembley Stadium to watch Fury brutally knock out Dillian Whyte in London on Saturday night.
When American broadcaster ESPN got Ngannou into the ring, he and Fury appeared to verbally agree to a fight.
In a prior interview with BT Sport, which had happened seconds earlier, Fury had confirmed his long-touted plan to retire from fighting after going unbeaten and defending his heavyweight title on two occasions.
But he seems interested in a crossover fight with the hard-hitting UFC champion Ngannou, who is months away from the end of his UFC contract.
“This is going to be one very special fight,” Fury told ESPN in the ring after his win.
“It’ll be something never before seen in the history of our sport. We’re not talking two guys around 140lb, I’m 270lb, he’s 270lb.
“It’s going to be an explosive fight when it happens.”
“I’m the boxing heavyweight champion, he’s the UFC heavyweight champion, he’s in great shape, look at the muscles on him,” Fury continued.
Ngannou added: “We are going to find out who is the baddest motherf***er on the planet,” to which Fury replied “good man Francis”.
Ngannou is nursing a knee injury, but has vowed to return for a hybrid-rules bout with the pair wearing 4oz gloves and competing under what are essentially boxing rules.
“It’s going to be an hybrid fight with different type of rules, MMA gloves but in the ring,” Ngannou explained. “We’ll mix it up and do it a little different.”
*Reported by Mirror