Deontay Wilder makes respectful call out to Francis Ngannou
11/12/2024 01:20 PM
Deontay Wilder is keen to reignite his fight talks with Francis Ngannou but isn't interested in talking trash to make it happen.
A crossover fight between the two knockout artists seemed to be off the table, but that may no longer be the case. 'The Bronze Bomber' has declared an interest in getting a bout agreement finalized with the PFL heavyweight champion shortly.
Despite talks of him retiring following back-to-back defeats—extending his run to four losses in his last five—Deontay Wilder has dismissed those claims. Instead, the powerhouse is hoping to make a return after recovering from an injury.
"For me, the best is yet to come," Wilder said regarding his future in the sport. "Yeah, we're still going. We're still here."
"I'm just getting things together, man. I'm just handling a lot of things. I had a lot of outside distractions that I had to get rid of, a lot of burden upon me."
Wilder continued, welcoming any potential future bout with Francis Ngannou should he make a return to the boxing ring.
"Even since I've been off and stuff like that, there's been a lot of offers coming in. A lot of things [in] different countries and stuff like that. Even with Francis, what's up brother?"
"I hope everything's going good for you, man. I'm sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what it's like to lose a child, man. I never hope to even feel that feeling of it but I hope life is going beautifully for you, bro."
"Yeah, that's a conversation I'm still looking to get in there in the mix and talk about."
Related: Francis Ngannou's violent KO of Renan Ferreira gets new cage-side angle | VIDEO
Speaking on his prediction for the fight, Wilder believes you can never underestimate your opponent.
"I mean, any fight is competitive. [When] you've got a man that's got two hands and two feet and got a heart [and] that will to win, you got a competition, you got a fight on your hands."
"That's why when you get in the ring, you respect every man that steps in there because you never know what dog he may bring to the fight."
