Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul are angling for a fight.
Last year, Paul stepped into the boxing ring for his biggest test ever, taking on former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, after a planned bout with Gervonta Davis got scrapped.
But before Joshua, Paul tried to set up a match with Ngannou, only for Ngannou to turn the opportunity down.
Ngannou is set to make his return to MMA on May 16 when he fights Philipe Lins as the co-main event to the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight being promoted by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions on Netflix. And at the Tuesday’s kick-off press conference, “The Predator” made it clear he wants to square up with Paul now.
“No, I’m not interested in fighting Jake Paul,” Ngannou said to a question from a reporter in attendance. “I’m interested in beating his ass. Not fighting him.”
As the promoter of the event, Paul was also in attendance and jumped on the mic later to address Ngannou’s callout.
“I’m down. I’ve always been down,” Paul said. “You were the option before Anthony Joshua, and you ran like a duck. And I bet you didn’t think I would last longer than you did with Anthony, either. So, you just know that you get worked in boxing. And I would love to see it someday.”
Paul did fare better than Ngannou against Joshua, lasting until the sixth round before being brutally KOed. Ngannou, in contrast, was knocked out cold in the second round.
But that’s not why Ngannou wants to box Paul now. The lineal UFC heavyweight champion clarified that when Paul came to him last year, he simply wasn’t interested in the fight. But because of Paul’s disrespect since then, he now has something to prove.
