RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MAY 29: Deontay Wilder of Team Matchroom gestures during the Queensbury v Matchroom 5v5 Media Workouts ahead of his Heavyweight fight against Zhilei Zhang of Team Queensberry at Boulevard World on May 29, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
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Deontay Wilder knows the money and intrigue are there, and the timing feels right for a fight with former UFC heavyweight champion and reigning PFL SuperFights heavyweight king, Francis Ngannou.
When Ngannou called Wilder out last week, the Bronze Bomber didn’t brush it aside.
In fact, he welcomed the idea.
“I just was sent what he put out, and I think it’s a hell of a fight,” Wilder said to me in an exclusive interview. “It’s finally, like you said, it’s time, and I feel the same way. Let’s make it happen.”
Wilder has never been overly active on social media, preferring peace and quiet when he’s not in the ring. But when Ngannou tagged him in a public callout, the message reached him quickly. And unlike other fighters who might play coy, Wilder leaned straight into it.
A Bag Worth Chasing
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MARCH 07: Francis Ngannou poses for a photo as he weighs in ahead of his ‘Knockout Chaos’ heavyweight fight against Anthony Joshua at Greece in Boulevard World on March 07, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
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Both Wilder and Ngannou are past the point of proving themselves to critics. Wilder made 10 successful defenses of the WBC heavyweight title and delivered some of the sport’s most dramatic knockouts.
Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, shocked the boxing world by dropping Tyson Fury in his debut and going the distance.
“There’s a bag waiting for that fight,” Wilder said with a laugh. “At this point in our careers, that’s what it’s about—you’ve got to get paid. The escalation thing, it’s over with. We’re still going higher, but the money is what it is.”
A showdown between the two would be a collision of power punchers with crossover appeal. Wilder is open to staging it in Africa, echoing the historic legacy of the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle.”
“Man, we can even go further and go back to the homeland,” Wilder said. “If we did that in Africa—oh my God. That would be crazy. Wilder versus Ngannou in Nigeria or Cameroon, it’d be awesome.”
Sizing Each Other Up
Though Wilder and Ngannou have only crossed paths briefly in a gym setting, Wilder admitted he sized him up the moment they met.
“A fighter is always sizing each other up,” Wilder said. “I’m not going to lie, I was sizing his ass up for sure. And I know he was doing the same with me.”
But for Wilder, sizing him up now isn’t about rivalry as much as opportunity. He says his body is healed from past injuries, his shoulder has recovered, and mentally, he’s in a place of peace.
“I feel so much better now,” Wilder explained. “My body is 100 percent healed, I’ve been feeling amazing. Mentally, physically, emotionally—it’s been a long ride, but I’m here. I’m living in my truth.”
Wilder Grades Himself in His Last Fight
I asked Wilder how he’d grade himself for his last fight, a win over Tyrrell Herndon in June. Wilder said, “a B or B-minus.” However, he cautioned, he’s still putting things in order, but doesn’t sound like a man who isn’t thinking about having at least two more fights.
We’ll wait and see, but something tells me Wilder’s next few fights could be explosive.