PFL heavyweight Alexander Romanov raised eyebrows with a unique idea for Francis Ngannou’s next boxing fight.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is intent on resuming his boxing career later this year, and putting his time in MMA indefinitely on hold. Ngannou hasn’t fought in MMA since finishing 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira last year by TKO.
Several top names have been proposed for Ngannou’s boxing return, including a potential showdown with Deontay Wilder. Ngannou and Wilder have both entertained a potential fight booking for their next fights.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesAlexander Romanov wants Francis Ngannou to face Daniel Dubois in boxing return
Wilder made a triumphant return to the ring by knocking out Tyrrell Anthony Herndon last month in Wichita. It was a strong bounceback performance for Wilder after losses in four of his previous five fights.
Ngannou, who is still looking for his first professional boxing win, could face another star knockout artist, according to one of his PFL colleagues.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, PFL heavyweight finalist Alexander Romanov explained why he wants to see Ngannou fight former heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois for his next boxing match.
“Now in heavyweight boxing, Oleksandr Usyk is the biggest star. But I think a better matchup for Francis would be Daniel Dubois,” Romanov opined.
“It would be better and a lighter matchup to face Dubois, because Francis has crazy power in his hands, lands super heavy bombs. And he could use that to knock him out…his style matches up well with Dubois, it’s a good matchup because he looks for just one heavy shot, doesn’t move well on his feet.”
Dubois lost to Oleksandr Usyk in their heavyweight title rematch by fifth-round knockout earlier this month. Dubois was seen hosting a house party late into the night just before his fight with Usyk, drawing criticism from around boxing.
A matchup between Dubois and Ngannou might make sense for both sides. Ngannou hasn’t fought in boxing since a loss to Anthony Joshua last year by knockout.
Alexander Romanov fights for a PFL world championship on August 21
Meanwhile, Romanov is weeks away from the biggest fight of his MMA career at the 2025 PFL World Tournament finals. Romanov will face Oleg Popov for the 2025 PFL heavyweight world championship.
Since departing the UFC earlier this year, Romanov has defeated Tim Johnson and fought to a no-contest against Valentin Moldavsky in his PFL tenure. During his time in the UFC, Romanov defeated the likes of Rodrigo Nascimento and Blagoy Ivanov.
A former top heavyweight prospect, Romanov has the opportunity to not only win a $500k prize, but also add to his bounceback campaign with a world championship.