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Francis Ngannou has chosen Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and Tyson Fury as his three probable opponents for his boxing debut.
Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion, is now a free agent because he declined to sign a new contract when his one with the organisation ran out in December. The Cameroonian turned down a guaranteed $8 million to defend his UFC title against Jon Jones and is now hoping to earn more money by competing against the best heavyweights in boxing.
'The Predator' hinted to his next bout by posting a photo of Wilder, Fury, and Joshua with the word "decisions" on Monday evening.
Eddie Hearn, the owner of Matchroom Boxing and Joshua's promoter, recently began discussions with Ngannou about a prospective matchup with the British fighter. Ngannou spoke to Hearn on his own behalf because he doesn't have a manager.
"I reached out to Francis just to say, 'look, I'm getting all these approaches from people claiming to represent Francis Ngannou, just tell me who I need to speak to', and the answer was, 'me'. Obviously, the Tyson Fury fight is there for him as well. I think he should fight Anthony Joshua, these guys have a mountain to climb in terms of the challenge of fighting an elite boxer."
Fury previously outlined his conditions for a fight with Ngannou that would take place in a cage with MMA gloves and follow Queensbury rules, even joking that boxing legend Mike Tyson may act as a special guest referee. By uploading the interview clip on Twitter and concluding with the words "What else? - Baddest Man on the Planet," Ngannou acknowledged accepting the conditions Fury had set.
Ngannou has never fought in boxing but began training in the sport before being persuaded by one of his old teachers to switch to MMA. Despite having no prior boxing experience, the Cameroonian has been given the go-ahead to compete against elite heavyweights like Fury and Joshua by Curtis Blaydes.