Boxing Wire

Tag: Francis Ngannou

  • Jake Paul Proposes Rico Verhoeven vs. Francis Ngannou

    Jake Paul Proposes Rico Verhoeven vs. Francis Ngannou

    Jake Paul recently proposed a fight between kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou. The social media personality and professional boxer floated the matchup idea in recent comments.

    Paul, who has built his boxing career around high-profile crossover fights, sees potential in pairing the Dutch kickboxing star with the Cameroonian knockout artist. Both fighters have competed in combat sports at the highest level, though in different disciplines.

    MVP MMA co-owner Jake Paul has been very vocal with his thoughts that Verhoeven was the biggest winner from the fight and is now the best boxer in the world.

    “Rico vs Francis MVP / MVP MMA,” Paul said in a post on X.

    Francis Ngannou Reacts

    Ngannou responded with an emoji, connoting that he would be interested in that clash.

    Verhoeven holds multiple Glory Kickboxing heavyweight titles and is widely regarded as one of the top kickboxers in the world. Ngannou transitioned from the UFC to professional boxing in 2023, facing Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in high-profile bouts.

    The proposed matchup would represent another crossover event in combat sports, a format Paul has championed throughout his promotional ventures. No official discussions or negotiations have been reported between the camps of either fighter.

  • Francis Ngannou Makes His Fury vs. Joshua Prediction

    Francis Ngannou Makes His Fury vs. Joshua Prediction

    Francis Ngannou has a unique perspective on the Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury fight, having shared the ring with both men within a year. And despite being knocked out by Joshua in two rounds while going the distance and dropping Fury, Ngannou is still picking the Manchester fighter to come out on top.

    The former UFC and PFL heavyweight champion shared his prediction in a recent interview with The Schmo, explaining that Fury’s technical boxing skills give him a slight edge over Joshua, even factoring in what Ngannou himself experienced against each man.

    “If I have to favor somebody it’s going to be very slight. I will go for Fury, because he is very slick. He does well with professional boxing, he only doesn’t understand when it’s not a pro boxer.”

    Ngannou attributed his own success against Fury in part to the unorthodox nature of his MMA training, suggesting the movement and style he brought to that fight posed problems Fury was simply not accustomed to solving. Joshua, by contrast, is a conventional heavyweight boxer, which plays more into Fury’s strengths.

    The fight was announced on Monday after years of negotiations between the two British heavyweights, with the bout set for later this year on Netflix. Joshua is expected to make it through a tune-up fight in Riyadh this summer before the two finally meet. The pair have been rivals for well over a decade and shared a sparring session in their younger days, but have never met in an official professional bout.

    Ngannou returns to the cage on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood against Philipe Lins on the first ever MVP MMA card on Netflix.