Tyson Fury responds to Francis Ngannou’s win over Cyril Gane at UFC 270

Fury and Ngannou are seemingly on a collision course with both heavyweight champions calling for a clash in the boxing ring

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Boxing: Fury calls out Ngannou, McIntyre and Joshua

Tyson Fury congratulated Francis Ngannou on his win over Cyril Gane – then called on him to meet him in the ring.

Fury and Ngannou repeatedly called each other out in the build up to Ngannou’s first heavyweight title defence at UFC 270 last night.

And after the Cameroon star successfully defended his belt with a wrestling-heavy performance, Fury was quick to remind his rival of their exchanges.

“Congratulations, Francis Ngannou,” he posted on social media. “But if you want to make real money, come and see the Gypsy King.”

Ngannou has long coveted a switch to boxing having originally dreamed of becoming heavyweight world champion when he left his homeland for Europe.

But he switched to mixed martial arts in Paris and went on to become the most dangerous man in the UFC.

He fought former training partner Gane despite tearing ligaments in his knee just three weeks before the first bell.

And rather than his explosive striking skills, he offered fans a glimpse of his hitherto unseen grappling game to win by unanimous decision.

And Ngannou, who is in a contract stand-off with UFC president Dana White, later reiterated his desire to swap the cage for the ring.

“As I always say, boxing is always in the back of my pocket. It’s something that I must do before the end of my career,” he said.

“And right now, I’m really looking towards any opportunity to get that because it’s not like I had a lifetime here so I better start thinking about it.”

Should Francis Ngannou fight Tyson Fury? Let us know in the comments section below

Part of Ngannou’s issue with his UFC deal is his small purses compared to those earned by Fury.

The UFC champion was paid a base purse of $600,000 last night, a far cry from the $30million Fury is believed to have earned for his trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder.

In successfully defending his title, Ngannou will see his contract extended by either one year or three fights.

With the champion now requiring knee surgery which would keep him out for several months, he may not make the walk to the UFC cage again.

Any fight with Fury, however, would likely have to wait until after the Brit has defended his world title against Dillian Whyte – and then challenged for the undisputed crown.

Fury could however strike a deal with Oleksandr Usyk to face his fellow champion next – and then vacate his belts to take on Ngannou.