DEONTAY WILDER said he is serious about a two-fight boxing and MMA deal with Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou is a free agent after leaving the UFC following a breakdown in contract talks.
Deontay Wilder is serious about a two-fight boxing and MMA deal with Francis NgannouGetty Images – Getty
Francis Ngannou has left the UFCGetty
It has paved the way for him to make a dream move into boxing, where the likes of Tyson Fury, 34, and Anthony Joshua, 33, await.
But Wilder, 37, is ready to go one step further and face Ngannou, 36, in both the ring and cage.
He told Trill Boxing Talk: “I’m very interested in it. I even thought about this idea, though, I was like; all right, let’s make it a two-fight deal.
“Everybody always comes to boxing, but let’s do this: You come to my s***, I come to yours. You know what I’m saying? You feel me?
“I’ll do it up. You come to my house, I come to yours. A true tea party. I’m a true warrior.”
Fury and Ngannou have both flirted with a hybrid-rules bout, under boxing rules but in a cage with smaller 4oz gloves.
But Wilder is ready to rip up the script and become one of few boxers to enter the world of MMA.
He said: “I’m serious about that. That’s something I thought about even from the first spark of the idea. I want to do something different.
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“Since everybody always be crossing between combat sports, and the MMA guys always come to boxing, of course, they ain’t got no stand-up game as far as boxing is concerned.
“So it’s always going to be favoured on the boxer’s side, because you’re in our territory. It’s just like being in the water with sharks, with a shark.”
Boxing legend James Toney was among the few to cross codes but was beaten by ex-UFC champion Randy Couture in three minutes of their 2010 fight.
Wilder briefly met Ngannou last year when he was using the UFC’s state of the art training facilities.
He revealed: “I love Francis. When I met him at the Apex in Vegas, they was talking about doing it that time.
“I’m still interested in that fight. I would love to go to Africa for that. I would love to do that in Africa.”
Deontay Wilder pictured with Francis Ngannou