Despite his rival’s resounding victory over Dillian Whyte, Francis Ngannou thinks that if the two-faced in the ring, he would defeat Tyson Fury.

The Cameroon star has been messaging Fury on social media about a hypothetical crossover battle, which is unlikely to happen until at least 2023. On Saturday night, Ngannou sat ringside at Wembley Stadium to watch Fury retain his title by stopping British challenger Whyte in the sixth round.

After the fight, the UFC champion entered the ring and announced that once he heals from his knee injury, he plans to seek a boxing battle.

“We have been talking about this going back and forth for like the past two years, and I think we are close to getting this on. I think I can beat everybody, it won’t be an easy fight in the boxing world, but I can beat anybody,” Ngannou told BT Sport.

“I will get prepared, and I am getting better and better every time I fight. In a few months, I am back in the gym, and I will be getting ready, and I am looking forward to taking the challenge on,” he added.