"He didn't want it" - Zhilei Zhang reveals plans for scrapped December bout with Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou's next fight was nearly a surprise December return against Zhilei Zhang.

'The Predator' has been out of action since his boxing debut opposite Tyson Fury in October. Ngannou entered the bout as a massive underdog, but it didn't look that way. In Saudi Arabia, 'The Gypsy King' went through one of the toughest fights of his career.

However, despite a third-round knockdown, the British boxer still walked away with a split-decision win. Post-fight, Ngannou revealed that he had already been offered another bout by the Saudis. However, he never specified what it was, and instead targeted a 2024 return.

As it turns out, that fight was Zhilei Zhang vs. Francis Ngannou. 'Big Bang' revealed as such in a recent interview with Daily Mail. There, the WBO interim heavyweight champion revealed that the two sides were in talks for a Dec. 23 bout.

Now, that date is occupied by Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker. However, it was nearly the return of 'The Predator' in that slot. In the interview with Daily Mail, Zhang said:

“There were originally talks to have me fight Ngannou [on December 23] and I was like, ‘Okay, it’s a walk in the park for me, I’ll take it.’ But Ngannou didn’t want to do it. And then it’s what you see. The big names started to come in like Joshua filling the card. And that’s what happened.”

---

Could Zhilei Zhang be Francis Ngannou's next fight?

A bout with Zhilei Zhang is possible, but unlikely for Francis Ngannou's next fight.

'The Predator' has been upfront about the fact that he's in boxing for a good time, not a long time. With that being the case, he's been forthcoming about the fact that he only wants the biggest names in the sport.

A bout with 'Big Bang' would be somewhere in the middle. Yes, Zhang is an incredible heavyweight boxer who is holding an interim world title. However, his drawing power beyond China is largely unknown.

In an interview with Brian Custer last month, Francis Ngannou assessed his options in boxing. There, he echoed his statements about fighting the best, while instead showing interest in a PFL fight with Deontay Wilder above everything else.

He said:

"I prefer to fight only the top fighters. Why did I fight Tyson Fury? Because he is the top of the game, I wanted to get in there at the top and I want the best... The conversation of a mixed-rules fight with Deontay Wilder [in the PFL] is true, because even before this fight [with Tyson Fury], we have been having discussions.”

See his comments below (9:50):