"Francis, let's get it on, baby," former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder said Wednesday in a message to ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." 

"If you're serious about what you're saying, I am serious about what I'm saying. Let's get it on once and for all. Your power against my power. Let's test it out, baby. If you're down, I'm down. We can go to the motherland, too, baby — Africa, let's go."

Wilder and Ngannou have been linked to a boxing match ever since Ngannou impressed in his October 2023 pugilistic debut, where he knocked Tyson Fury down but lost a split decision on the scorecards. Ngannou's second foray into the sport didn't go quite as well. Anthony Joshua needed just two rounds to brutally knock Ngannou out in March 2024.

Fury, Joshua and Wilder were considered the big three in the heavyweight division for the second half of the 2010s. Ngannou has shared the ring with Fury and Joshua and now has Wilder in his sights. The former UFC champ confirmed to Uncrowned in August that facing Wilder would be "his top choice" in any sport, then followed it up with a social media callout of Wilder a few days later.

"My interest is high [in an Ngannou fight next]," Wilder said. "I'm ready to go with anyone. If Francis is next, then let it be [next]. I'm looking forward to a great fight with anyone [who's] going to get me back to where I need to go. With [the Ngannou fight], I think it'll be more entertaining for fans in general than [just] the boxing [fan base]. But every fight counts. It gets you closer and closer to the goal that you're looking for.

"Francis got the heart, man. He's the MMA champion, heavyweight champion, so that brings a lot of weight to it. Two strong guys, and we want to test out our power against each other's faces, so let the games begin. I'm all in. That sounds like a good time, so don't be threatening me with a good time."

"[There have] been talks previously, back and forth. But right now, I would say that it's warming up," Wilder said of negotiations to face Ngannou. "He's acknowledged what he wants to do, sent out the message, [and] I've replied. I've acknowledged that I'm serious, willing, ready, and able to do what it takes to get this fight on, and here I am … I'm ready to go anytime. I look forward to the next step of things [progressing] and see how far it gets. Hopefully, this is not a 'call me out to get clicks and likes and entertainment' [call out]."

While Ngannou is in the mix to be Wilder's next opponent, Wilder was reluctant to label him as the "frontrunner." "The Bronze Bomber" said that talks are also ongoing with other opponents outside of Ngannou but ultimately refused to name them.

Wilder ended a 12-month layoff and two-fight losing streak with a seventh-round TKO win over Tyrrell Herndon in June in Wichita, Kansas. It was Wilder's first win in 32 months and only his second victory in almost six years.

"That fight right there was a tester for me to see where I am," Wilder said of the Herndon fight. "Am I truly back mentally, like I believe I am? Because without the mind, mentally, everything [crashes] out. You can train as hard as you want. You can go through all of the levels of what you need to prepare for a fight, and if [you're] not mentally there when that bell rings, it's over with. I found myself back together, so I'm excited. I'm looking forward to the next one to show truly who I am and what I am."

"I never really did anything for myself because I've always taken care of other people, since [I was] 12, like I said. And it feels good to be like, 'I'm selfish now.' I'm doing it for myself. I'm enjoying myself while I can. I [have] 10 years left, whether I commit fully to that or not [is to be seen]. I got about 10 years left to do what I got to do to enjoy myself while I can at these last little moments of me being [in boxing]."

Wilder hopes to fight at least once more in 2025, bringing his total bouts for the year to a minimum of two — the former champ hasn't competed twice in a calendar year since 2019.

Arguments have been made that Wilder's best days are behind him, but the 39-year-old believes that he still has a decade left in the sport. If Wilder chooses to fight into his late 40s, he would hope to emulate the likes of Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman, who remarkably competed and had success at the world level at that age.

However, for the immediate future, boxing fans are hoping Wilder vs. Joshua doesn't join the dreaded list of fights that should have happened but never did. With promoter Eddie Hearn declaring that AJ's next big fight will mark his final roll of the dice, the clock is ticking on what was once a superfight. Why Wilder-Joshua has never materialized remains a question nobody can really answer, but Wilder hopes it's a question that won't need to be asked for much longer.

"It's up to [Joshua's team]. It ain't never been up to me," Wilder said. "Anything I've done in this business has never been up to me. A lot of people have [blamed me] if [a fight] didn't happen.

"I'm not gonna mention [Joshua's] name, and hopefully they don't mention my name until they are truly ready to finally get this fight on. No matter what happens, let's get it on once and for all."

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