Francis Ngannou is potentially challenging Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Title next month at UFC 220.
Despite all of his success in MMA, the fighter’s coach in Dewey Cooper would like to see Ngannou box against some of the worlds biggest boxing stars.
“Everyone was so enthralled about the Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather fight. I’d like to see Francis about one year from now fight whoever the heavyweight champion is, whether it be Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua. That would be a real fight, where an MMA fighter could go in there and upset a current boxing champion,” Cooper said to MMA Junkie.
Ngannou has no professional boxing experience to speak of, but he has competed a total of 12 times as a professional MMA fighter and has earned seven of his wins by KO/TKO.
Cooper also believes that Ngannou’s punching power is what would help him be successful in the boxing ring.
“He has punching power,” Cooper said. “Anyone that has that equalizer will fare well. If he spends more time and takes it seriously, trains hard, he could be a champ in boxing also."
UFC 220 takes place on Saturday, January 20 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts with Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou potentially headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
