Deontay Wilder vs Francis Ngannou: "Intriguing" crossover fight "makes sense"

Deontay Wilder has admitted that he finds the prospect of a crossover fight with Francis Ngannou “intriguing” as it “would bring a lot of interest.”

The Bronze Bomber takes on Robert Helenius this Saturday at the Barclays Center in New York.

It will be his first fight since being knocked out in his trilogy bout against Tyson Fury in Las Vegas last October.

Wilder recently spent time training at the UFC‘s Performance Institute, where he randomly happened to bump into heavyweight champion Ngannou, 36.

READ MORE: Deontay Wilder vs Robert Helenius: Date, Fight Card, How to watch and more

And having sized each other up, he says he would have no hesitations stepping in the ring with him.

Speaking to Insider, he said: “I think that would be an intriguing fight, and it would be a fight that would bring a lot of interest.

“It was mentioned to me before, and Al agreed. There’s the old saying, ‘If it makes dollars, it makes sense.’ And he agreed as well.

“Who knows? We may see that fight in the future. And if we do? Oh, boy. What a fight to see. The future is bright!”

READ MORE: Savannah Marshall knows she “can’t rely on my power” against Claressa Shields (exclusive)

Ngannou, meanwhile, has not fought in the UFC since his unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane, 31, in January.

Speaking earlier this year, he insisted that he would not sign a new deal unless they included a special clause in his contract.

“It’s always been down the line,” he told TMZ. “This is something I’m not taking my eyes off of, it’s going to happen, either way.

“Even if, when the UFC and I finalise a deal, the boxing part has to be into it because I can’t see myself retire without boxing.

“Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder. I would like to test myself to that