MIAMI – Jake Paul is still baffled by Francis Ngannou’s decision to pass on replacing Gervonta Davis for a boxing match on Netflix.
Paul was initially set to fight “Tank” Davis in a curious matchup on paper due to the massive size difference. However, Davis was pulled from the fight after another civil lawsuit was filed against him for domestic violence. Most Valuable Promotions offered Ngannou the opportunity to step in as a replacement.
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It wasn’t just that the former UFC champion turned down the fight; Ngannou went further, calling the idea disrespectful. Now, Paul will face Anthony Joshua, another matchup with an interesting size discrepancy, as Paul is the smaller man.
“Yeah, I just thought – I mean, he’s just an idiot,” Paul told MMA Junkie during a media scrum. “I’m like, ‘Yo, what are you doing?’ If you’re so confident, if you feel so disrespected, you’re having all this bad publicity about your name over the past year, year and half, this is your opportunity to correct that and stop me.”
After leaving the UFC in 2022, Ngannou signed with the PFL, which allowed him the freedom to compete in boxing. Ngannou landed two huge fights against Tyson Fury and Joshua. He lost both, but the fight against Fury was a very competitive split decision. Joshua knocked Ngannou out in the second round.
After dealing with the tragic death of his son, Ngannou returned to MMA last October for his only fight thus far under the PFL banner, where he knocked out Renan Ferreira in the first round. “The Predator” hasn’t been in action since, but has continued to make headlines as the PFL has grown frustrated by his absence from the promotion’s Africa-based events.
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UFC CEO Dana White also recently told a story about Ngannou pushing him and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell during a meeting, because he was upset about being snubbed for a bonus.
Paul believes Ngannou had the perfect chance to get back on track, not only in the news, but also in the ring by taking the fight against him on a big platform like Netflix.
“He’s basically also talking sh*t to Mike Tyson for fighting me,” Paul said. “Francis, you’re nowhere near the legend, and you never will be even close to the legend of Mike Tyson, and you’re saying it’s disrespectful to get in the ring.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jake Paul blasts ‘idiot’ Francis Ngannou for scoffing at Netflix bout
