Boxing star Deontay Wilder will not be facing Francis Ngannou in 2025, according to his manager Shelly Finkel, who ruled out the highly anticipated clash.
Wilder returned to the ring in June with a knockout victory over fellow American Tyrrell Herndon after back-to-back defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. The former WBC heavyweight champion is now seeking his next opponent.
Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and expressed interest in fighting Wilder, saying he intended to reach out to him soon.
However, Finkel dismissed speculation that talks were underway, telling World Boxing News: “Deontay Wilder will not be facing Francis Ngannou in 2025. That fight is not happening this year.”
Wilder, who turns 40 in October, has ambitions of becoming a two-time heavyweight champion after holding the WBC belt from January 2015 to February 2020. He began his career with 40 consecutive wins, 39 by knockout, but has since lost four of his last six bouts.
Ngannou has had two professional boxing matches, narrowly losing a decision to Tyson Fury before being knocked out by Anthony Joshua last year. Despite these setbacks, he remains eager to fight Wilder.
Finkel emphasized that Wilder is focused on staying active and targeting the division’s biggest names. “The plan is for Deontay to have another fight before the end of this year,” he said. “After that, we will be looking for a big fight in 2026. We’d be looking at a fight with Anthony Joshua or (Oleksandr) Usyk, something like that.”
A showdown with Joshua has been discussed for nearly a decade but has never materialized. Finkel’s remarks suggest the matchup could finally be closer. Wilder’s status as one of the division’s most recognizable names may also boost his chances of meeting undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, who is weighing his next move following his win over Daniel Dubois at Wembley last month.
