Dillian Whyte’s showdown with UFC star Francis Ngannou could be staged this

Hearn: Fans of both disciplines have always said: “Whyte vs Ngannou is a cracker”

Dillian Whyte vs Francis Ngannou sparked huge interest, says Eddie Hearn

Dillian Whyte’s potential fight with UFC star Francis Ngannou could happen this year, says promoter Eddie Hearn, who is planning talks with UFC boss Dana White.

Britain’s heavyweight contender has welcomed an explosive battle with Ngannou, who suggested he could be open to a boxing match, and Hearn revealed that he has received huge demand to stage the fight.

Whyte is currently training for a rescheduled clash with Alexander Povetkin, but the WBC ‘interim’ champion could then turn his attention to a battle with Ngannou before the end of 2020.

“I never really thought we would take this too seriously, but in the last week we have to take this seriously,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

It’s really got a lot of momentum and a lot of promise. I think there’s a really good chance it could happen.

Eddie Hearn on Whyte vs Ngannou

“The aim for Dillian Whyte is to become a world boxing champion, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Dillian Whyte against Ngannou towards the end of this year. Obviously we know Povetkin is next, but whether it’s October, November, December.

“I’m going to be reaching out to Dana White and saying: ‘Tell me how this works? Can we actually do this? Are we doing it in a ring? Are we doing it in a cage? Are we doing one round of each?’

“It’s really got a lot of momentum and a lot of promise. I think there’s a really good chance it could happen.”

Whyte has displayed his concussive power with destructive knockouts of Derek Chisora and Lucas Browne, while Ngannou has ruthlessly stopped his recent opponents within the opening round.

Ngannou has earned a reputation as a fearsome puncher

Floyd Mayweather’s boxing fight with Conor McGregor generated fiery debate between fans of both combat codes and Hearn believes Whyte-Ngannou would deliver an even more dramatic encounter.

“There’s not just interest online, there is huge interest everywhere for that fight,” said Hearn.

“When I first started discussing it, it was just something that had been mentioned. Fans of both disciplines have always said: ‘Whyte against…