Tyson Fury retires as Francis Ngannou retires seconds later

World heavyweight champion Fury declared he was retiring from boxing after his sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte, but had called out UFC champion Nganou within seconds

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In pictures: Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte

Tyson Fury backed down his resignation notice within seconds by calling out the UFC Heavyweight Champion Franz Ngannou.

The Cameroonian fighter traveled to Wembley Stadium from his home in Las Vegas to watch Fury brutally knock out Dillian Whyte in London tonight. And when American broadcaster ESPN brought Ngannou into the ring, he and Fury seemed to agree verbally on a fight.

In a previous interview with BT Sport, seconds earlier, Fury had confirmed his long-heralded plan to withdraw from the fight after going unbeaten and twice defending his heavyweight title. But he appears interested in a crossover fight with heavy-hitting UFC champion Ngannou, who is months away from the end of his UFC contract.

“It’s going to be a very special fight,” Fury told ESPN after his win in the ring. “It will be something that has never happened before in the history of our sport. We’re not talking about two guys who are about 140 pounds, I’m 270 pounds, he’s 270 pounds. It’s going to be an explosive fight when it happens.”

“I’m the boxing heavyweight champion, he’s the UFC heavyweight champion, he’s in great shape, look at his muscles,” Fury continued. Ngannou added: “We’re going to find out who the worst motherf***er on the planet is,” to which Fury replied: “Good man Francis”.

Ngannou is suffering from a knee injury but has vowed to return for a hybrid rules bout, with the pair wearing 4-ounce gloves and essentially boxing rules.

“It’s going to be a hybrid fight with different rules, MMA gloves but in the ring,” Ngannou explained. “We’re mixing it up and doing it a little differently.”

Would you watch a hybrid match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section under!

Fury had vowed to hang up the gloves just seconds earlier, telling BT Sport: “I promised my dear wife of 14, Paris, that it would be after the Wilder 3 fight,” he told BT Sport after the fight.

“I meant it, we had a war, it was a great trilogy and I meant it. But I was offered to fight at home at Wembley and I feel I owed it to the fans, every person in the UK, to come here and fight at Wembley. Now that it’s all over I think this is it, this could be the final curtain for the gypsy king. What a way to go, a big thank you to the UK!”

Ngannou most recently defeated Ciryl Gane in the final fight of his UFC deal, earning just $600,000 for his first heavyweight title defense. Meanwhile, Fury earned a staggering $29.5m to take on Whyte tonight and would likely make another mega payday for the showdown with Ngannou.

The pair went back and forth on social media for months ahead of their dream match and now appear to have agreed to compete.