Francis Ngannou has declared he would entertain a showdown with Wladimir Klitschko when naming options for his next fight.
The Cameroon star left the UFC and fought in two lucrative boxing bouts, losing to Tyson Fury on points in October 2023 before being knocked out by Anthony Joshua last March.
Despite being brutally stopped by AJ, Ngannou is keen to fight again in the squared circle this year alongside his MMA career in the PFL.
Ngannou made his PFL debut, beating Renan Ferreira in October last year and is continuing his quest in both combat sports.
And when assessing his potential next options, the 38-year-old surprisingly named 48-year-old Klitschko and GLORY kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven.
“I have a few fights left,” Ngannou told the Sportsbook Review. “I focus on very few fights, not on options.
“There’s a lot of options. [Kickboxer] Rico Verhoeven could happen, but I don’t know.
“Rico is an option, Derek Chisora is an option, Wladimir Klitschko could be an option.
“I want a boxing fight next, I’d prefer a boxing fight next. I think it’s also about the timing.
“Yes, there are interesting [fights in the PFL]. Every fight that can happen, I’ll be ready to go.”
Klitschko is a stunning option with the retired legend’s name having cropped up for several fighters.
Reports indicate that the former unified champion is keen on a mega comeback fight, which could include a world title shot against Daniel Dubois.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has suggested he would have interest in staging his return, but there are health risks around the veteran given the outcome of Mike Tyson’s comeback fight against Jake Paul.
Verhoeven is a truly gifted kickboxing legend, and has previously suggested he would be open to make the switch to traditional boxing to face Ngannou.
Given the pair’s skillsets, the pair could meet in a mixed-rules style bout.
Chisora is also an option according to Ngannou, given the British star made a plea for the clash to take place in Africa in his final fight.
But the British veteran has suggested he is no longer interested in fighting the powerful former UFC champion.
Ngannou has also suggested he would most like a huge showdown with fellow power-puncher Deontay Wilder.
Wilder is in torrid form having lost on back-to-back occasions to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.
But the 38-year-old insists a settling of fans’ ‘power’ debate is something that motivates him to step beyond the ropes.
He added: “Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out.
“I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder.
“I’m saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove, ‘No, it’s me [who hits harder].’
“‘Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay?’ Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit, and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind.”
