The Cameroonian ex-UFC champion previously said he was considering a fight with Vladimir Klitschko
Deontay Wilder, Getty Images
Former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KO) spoke about his desire to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou .
“We both keep mentioning this fight. He's mentioned it at least twice in the last month. Right now we're just trying to figure out and figure out how this event should go. But I'm definitely interested in this fight. Just like he is.”
“It's only a matter of time. You know how it is. Everything always depends on time. And only after you find out the date of the event and the location, you can fully engage in the promotion of the event. I think that this event will be created in the near future. So you can count on it. I definitely count on it. So stay tuned!”
Wilder, 39, suffered his fourth career defeat in his last fight against Zhang Zhilei last June. All four of those losses have come in his last five fights — in addition to Zhilei, Deontay also lost twice to Tyson Fury and lost a decision to Joseph Parker in December 2023.
Wilder's last win came in October 2022, when he knocked out Robert Helenius.
Deontay's next fight will be on June 27 in Wichita (Kansas, USA) with his compatriot, American Tyrrell Herndon (24-5, 15 KOs).
Ngannou made his professional boxing debut in October 2023 against then-WBC champion Tyson Fury, and lost by decision. The Cameroonian's next fight was in March 2024 against Anthony Joshua, and he was knocked out in the second round.
In February 2025, Francis said that he planned to have several more fights in his boxing career, and named legendary Ukrainian, former world heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko (64-5, 54 KOs) as one of his potential opponents.