FRANCIS NGANNOU’S rags to riches story is destined for the big screen – and he has a British movie icon in mind to play him.
Ngannou was raised in Batie, Cameroon, by a single mum who split from his feared street fighter dad when he was six.
@francisngannouFrancis Ngannou was born and raised in Batie, Cameroon[/caption]
Ngannou was raised in poverty before making his break
@francisngannouThe future world champion fighter was working in the sand mines from the age of ten[/caption]
The future world champion fighter was working in the sand mines from the age of ten, earning just £1.50 a DAY.
He began training at 22 with the dreams of becoming a professional boxer but found his options exhausted in Africa.
So at 26, he made the life-changing decision to emigrate to France in a journey that took over ONE YEAR.
Ngannou opened up on his breakaway in an exclusive interview with SunSport in Saudi Arabia and said: “It was always tough.
“That was a 14-month journey and what I do remember is that every step was tough.
“You get from the first step, you think that you have seen it all and then the next step you have the same feeling, over and over.”
Ngannou started his trip from Cameroon to Nigeria – where there is an open border between the two – but ran into trouble in Niger, where he needed a visa.
He managed to cram himself into a pick-up truck with 25 people, as they crossed the Sahara desert to get to Algeria.
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From there, he managed to obtain an illegal passport to enter Mali and then proceeded through to Morocco, where things got really tough.
Ngannou lived in the woods and would fend off rats to eat food out of bins to survive before attempting to get into Spain.
There, he was caught and imprisoned but due to his false passport, Spanish authorities were unable to deport him or keep him behind bars.
Finally, Ngannou made it to France via train and it was there his journey ended and his fight career started.
The journey was symbolic of Ngannou’s career – showing hope, courage, strength and character.
He said: “The one thing that I do know for sure, there was not even a plan of going back or giving up. It was for me, my pride that was on the line.
“And I don’t know, I watch a movie that I love so much and it says, ‘Better die for something than live for nothing.’”
Ngannou initially wanted to pursue boxing in France but found it easier to find MMA fights, debuting as a pro in 2013.
Fast forward eight years and he won the UFC heavyweight title and made one successful defence of the belt.
But last year, he made yet another life-changing decision.
@francisngannouNgannou left Cameroon at the age of 26[/caption]
@francisngannouHere is Ngannou returning to his routes in the sand mines[/caption]
@francisngannouNgannou’s journey to France took over a year[/caption]
Ngannou walked out on the UFC as the reigning world champion to gamble on a move to boxing – as his theme of risky business continued.
He said of his incredible life story: “Scariest moment? There was a lot of them. Stand out? I dunno.
“Maybe when the inflatable boat was being put out into the ocean without knowing how to swim.
“Maybe when I was running from border control. Maybe when you stand against a giant institution like the UFC. There’s a lot of moments.”
Ngannou was offered $10million (£8m) to stay in the UFC for a super-fight with Jon Jones.
He turned it down after they refused him the freedom to box and fight in MMA at the same time and chose not to extend his UFC deal.
Ngannou, who signed for rivals the Professional Fighters League, had come too far and seen too much to give up on his boxing dream.
He said: “Life is a risk. I have risked my life, so my life really is worth more than $10million.
“So many times I had to make a lot of choices and take a lot of risks to get here.
@francisngannouNgannou pictured training back home[/caption]
@francisngannouThe Cameroonian only began training aged 22[/caption]
@francisngannouNgannou had to live in the woods during his journey to France[/caption]
“There is a quote in our country, it says, ‘You can’t make an omelette without sacrificing eggs.’”
Ngannou’s roll of the dice has paid off big time, having landed a boxing fight with Tyson Fury in October.
He even floored Fury, 35, only to lose a controversial split-decision.
But the shock performance earned him another mega-money bout in the ring, this time against Anthony Joshua, 34, on March 8.
His pair of boxing bouts are set to bank the heavyweight hero over £20MILLION.
It is the latest act in a remarkable story fit for Hollywood – and Ngannou has already earmarked boxing-mad Idris Elba to play him.
He said: “I always thought about one person in mind, it was actually Idris Elba.”
Most people could never have foreseen Ngannou’s move into boxing resulting in back-to-back blockbusters.
But Ngannou – ever one step ahead – is not most people.
He said: “I don’t think anything is guaranteed in life but I think everything is possible, so yes, I did think this could happen.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t leave my career in the UFC as a champion to take this route if I wasn’t certain it was going to happen.”
HandoutNgannou wants British actor Idris Elba to portray his life in a movie[/caption]
ReutersNgannou made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury[/caption]
AlamyAnthony Joshua fights Ngannou on March 8[/caption]
@francisngannouThe ex-UFC champ in training to fight Joshua[/caption]
@francisngannouNgannou is now signed to MMA promotion PFL[/caption]