Deontay Wilder vs Francis Nnganou

The answer to this question wholly depends on whether these two met in an octagon or a boxing ring. Wilder would walk through Ngannou in a boxing ring with ease. Compared to Ngannou, Wilder is technically far superior in regards to boxing. However, in the octagon, Francis would also find it incredibly easy to dominate a boxer like Wilder. Put simply, they would both comfortably beat each other in their respective sports.

It’s completely understandable why these two are often matched up. They have been or are heavyweight champions in their respective sports. They are both gifted with freakish power and they both have a tendency to swing wildly when looking for a knockout. But I also think that we tend to forget how different these sports are. Some people have even gone as far to claim that Ngannou could beat the current top heavyweights in boxing. So how would Ngannou really match up against someone like Wilder?

In terms of raw power, I’d lean towards Ngannou just because of the sheer size difference and the fact he has the hardest recorded punch. Ngannou weighs around 260lbs whereas Wilder weighed around 215lbs for the majority of his career and 238lbs at his heaviest. However, pound-for-pound, I believe that Wilder generates more power, the leverage he’s able to sporadically generate is second to none.

How Deontay Wilder would win

Name	Deontay Wilder
Alias	The Bronze Bomber
Height	6ft 7″
Reach	83″
Weight	238lbs
Wins	42
Losses	2
Draws	1
Knockouts	41
Stance	Orthodox

Ensuring that the fight takes place in a boxing ring would be Wilder’s path to victory. There are too many facets of MMA that Wilder would need to master in order to even compete with Ngannou in the octagon. Not to mention the fact that the striking range would be alien to Wilder in MMA. The danger of kicks requires a larger distance between fighters and a better understanding of human movements and range.

However, in a boxing ring, I believe Wilder would dominate Francis with ease. While he doesn’t have the reputation of being a highly skilled boxer, Wilder has undeniable technique. He typically uses his lead hand to gauge the distance before delivering one of his devastating right hands. While Francis has similar power, I imagine he’d struggle to adjust and look amateur in his explosive attacks, likely falling victim to a counter right-hand.

The other major difference between the two is experience, Wilder has faced off against some great boxers, who are far more technically gifted than Ngannou. He even gave the current WBC Heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury some trouble in their trilogy. While he may not look to be a technical boxer against someone like Fury, he’s far ahead of an amateur boxer like Ngannou. There is a chance that Francis is able to land a big punch on Wilder and knock him out but I think the likelihood of the opposite happening is much higher in the boxing ring.

To conclude, in the boxing ring, I think the most likely outcome is that Wilder finishes Ngannou within a couple of rounds comfortably.

Deontay Wilder’s wins and notable competition

Its nearly pointless to compare their resumes since they belong to different sports but Wilder has faced and beaten quite a good selection of fighters. I’d argue that his most impressive win came in 2019 in his rematch with Luis Ortiz where Wilder knocked out Ortiz in the 7th round. However, Wilder has also fought Tyson Fury 3 times and gave him some trouble in two of their fights.

Notable wins:

Luis Ortiz (2x)
Bermine Stiverne (2x)
Domic Breazile
Chris Aerola
Malik Scott

How Francis Ngannou would win

Name	Francis Ngannou
Alias	The Predator
Height	6ft 4″
Reach	83″
Weight	263lbs
Wins (MMA)	16
Losses (MMA)	3
Draws (MMA)	0
Knockouts	12
Stance	Orthodox

As with Wilder, the only thing Ngannou would need to win is for the match to take place in his respective sport. Wilder could definitely put Francis away in an emphatic fashion in the boxing ring. But in the octagon, Francis would be able to beat Wilder any way he liked. The wrestling and kicks would be something that Wilder simply wouldn’t be able to adjust to in a short amount of time.

Also, the range in MMA is completely different. A lot of the slips, rolls, and blocking in boxing translate very poorly to MMA. Since they would be fighting at a longer range and Wilder would have to worry about kicks and takedowns, it would be relatively easy for Ngannou to throw off an amateur with some feints and kicks before using a big right hand or left hook to put Wilder away.

The other advantage for Ngannou in the octagon is that they would be wearing the 4oz gloves that he is accustomed to. Wilder, however, is used to wearing 10oz gloves in the boxing ring which have much more padding and allow boxers to block punches more effectively. Without 10oz gloves, I don’t see how Wilders defense could stay together in MMA. Blocking and parrying punches are such integral elements of any boxer’s defense. This is why its futile to compare Boxing and MMA. They may share some elements but they are completely different sports in their own rights.

In MMA, Francis could win any way possible. If he wants to take him down and submit him, he can. If he decides to set up a big punch, he can. He could even probably stop Wilder with some kicks to the legs and body.

Francis Ngannou’s competition and notable wins

Ngannou has faced tough competition throughout his time in the UFC. He has lost to a couple of elite fighters from the UFC in Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis by decision but for the most part, he has been incredibly dominant in his UFC career. Francis tends to stop his opponents early with overwhelming power and has beaten elite UFC heavyweights in an emphatic fashion. His most impressive win thus far is from his rematch with Miocic, who is arguably the best UFC heavyweight ever.

Notable wins:

Stipe Miocic
Ciryl Gane
Alistair Overeem
Curtis Blaydes (2x)
Cain Velasquez
Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Conclusion

I find the notion of a fight between these two intriguing. Not because of how they would fare against each other but rather the conversation surrounding this match-up. I think its relatively clear that they would both win against each other in their respective sports but many fans and critiques say otherwise.

It’s actually slightly remmanisant of Conor McGregor’s clash with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Conor’s power in the octagon gave him a reputation of being an unmatchable puncher. Using his performances, charisma, and mystique, McGregor convinced a large amount of fans and critiques that he was going to knock out the best pound-for-pound in boxing for the last 20 years.

I think this fight is a rather similar phenomenon, not because Wilder is a skilled or as difficult to beat as Floyd but rather that he is an elite fighter from a completely different sport. Similar to McGregor, Ngannou has convinced a substantial amount of people that his power is too overwhelming and would allow him to compete against elite heavyweight boxers.