Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wants to see Oleksandr Usyk test himself against Francis Ngannou.
The Ukrainian slickster was able to do what Ngannou couldn’t on Saturday night (May 18) when he defeated the Tyson Fury via split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
Despite a valiant effort, Ngannou lost to Fury on points when they squared off in October – although many people felt he had done enough to get his hand raised.
Usman was among those who believed Ngannou was the rightful winner and the MMA superstar feels his former UFC colleague deserves another bite of the cherry against boxing’s heavyweight elite.
“I know it’s crazy… but I would love to see [Usyk] fight a guy like Francis Ngannou,” Usman told the Pound 4 Pound Podcast.
“Yes, I wanna see the level of skill here.
“Yes he schooled the other guys, but Francis is the biggest puncher out there.
“But I want to see how Oleksandr Usyk is able to break a guy like that down.”
Fury isn’t the only mutual opponent Usyk and Ngannou share.
Unlike Fury, there were no such issues for the Watford powerhouse, who dispatched Ngannou inside two rounds to cap off a dominant display.
In stark contrast, Usyk won both of his fights against Joshua comfortably.
The heavyweight titans duked it out for the WBA, WBO and IBF belts in September 2021 and August 2022.
AJ was utterly outclassed in their inaugural encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he fell to a wide unanimous decision defeat.
In their second fight, over in Saudi Arabia, Joshua showed marked improvements and was given the nod on one of the three scorecards.
However, the consensus is that he lost the fight by two to four rounds.
On paper, Usyk vs Ngannou doesn’t look competitive but you can never say never in the heavyweight division.
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News Summary:
- Oleksandr Usyk advised to fight Francis Ngannou after Tyson Fury win by UFC legend
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