Tyson Fury backed for Francis Ngannou rematch with very different rules
The pair first went head-to-head in the boxing ring back in 2023 - but a former boxing world champion has called for the two heavyweights to rematch in a different setting
British boxing legend George Groves has backed Tyson Fury to rematch Francis Ngannou - but this time in a cage.
Ngannou - a former UFC heavyweight champion - made his professional boxing debut against Fury back in 2023. The 'Predator' shocked the world after scoring a knockdown in the contest - but would ultimately end up losing the dust-up on points.
The ex-UFC star has only fought once more in the ring - a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March 2024. Ngannou made the return to the MMA cage seven months later and would go on to knock Renan Ferreira out inside the first round. With the 38-year-old eager to get back in the cage soon, there are no real top contenders for the Cameroon native in the PFL.
However, Groves has a unique proposition. The former boxing world champion has called for Fury to rematch Ngannou in the cage following their fight in the boxing ring. In an interview with Action Network, when asked about Fury potentially making a return to fighting, he said: "I think he will come back and fight Anthony Joshua if there are guaranteed purses.
"If you are going to fight Joshua, then it has to be soon and maybe they will announce that fight straight after Usyk v Dubois and the winner will still dream of becoming world champion again. But I would like to see Tyson Fury do something different and get in the cage.
"I heard rumours of him fighting Francis Ngannou in the cage and that sounds brilliant, I would 100% pay for that. I'm all over that. He's a very good athlete who can chop and change, let's see if he can learn some wrestling or Jujitsu and a bit of defence before putting on some 4oz gloves on and see if he can put Ngannou away."
He added: "Francis Ngannou stepped into Fury's domain and give him a run for his money and should've won but Fury got away with it. Let's see if Fury can return the favour by jumping in the Octagon and have a scrap with Ngannou, that's what I would like to see. Fury is past his best as a boxer, but he has not been sitting on the couch for six or seven years. He boxed less than a year ago, is a fit athlete and maybe he's already been in the gym with the cage fighters and the MMA guys. I'd love to see him in the cage next."
Fury announced his retirement from boxing earlier this year. However, the 36-year-old has teased a potential return to competition over the last few weeks. While Groves' comments may come as a bit of a shock, the 'Gypsy King' does have some slight experience in the world of MMA.
In 2021, MMA star Nick Diaz took to social media to show footage of a training session he did with Fury. The Brit responded by noting how much fun he'd had working on the ground game. Diaz and his brother Nate are both jiu-jitsu experts, and he likely showed Fury the ropes during a gym session. In a comment under the elder Diaz brother's post, Fury said: "Nice bit of rolling around the mat."
A year later, Fury's close friend and former training partner Tom Aspinall opened up on training with the boxing icon. He told Sky Sports: 'I've grappled with him [Fury] before. He's interested in it. So, I know he's done bits of grappling, bits of kicks, and all that. He was down in our gym training with Darren Till before, doing kicks on the pads and all that stuff. So, he's definitely got interest in it. I don't know. I'd love to see it, though.'
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