Muhammad Ali’s MMA star grandson opens door to boxing switch after Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury
MUHAMMAD ALI’S grandson Biaggio has opened the door to a boxing switch following Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury.
The Ali family is rich in boxing history, with Biaggio’s grandfather considered The Greatest.
Meanwhile his auntie Laila was an undefeated two-weight world champion and brother Nico is a current middleweight contender.
But Biaggio gave up his dreams of the NFL to instead pursue MMA, training alongside Ngannou at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.
And he watched as Ngannou, 35, dropped Fury, 36, in their crossover clash and was deemed mighty unlucky to lose a split-decision.
The bout and bravery shown by the ex-UFC star has Biaggio refusing to rule out following in his iconic family’s footsteps one day.
He told SunSport: “I’m definitely open to the possibility. Who would have ever thought Francis would fight Tyson Fury?
“That was a completely unexpected thing that happened and it happened. So, I think in the future anything can happen.
“Maybe I have a successful MMA run and then I say, ‘Hey, let me go box and boxer.’ Then I could go to boxing.
“But, right now I’m focussed on MMA, I’m an MMA fighter right now and I’m only at the beginning of the beginning of my career.
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“The beginning would be right when I turn pro and I haven’t turned pro yet.
“I’d like to turn pro next year, God willing I come out victorious in the next fight. But yeah, I’m open to anything.”
Biaggio, still an amateur in MMA, had fierce debates with 8-1-1 boxing brother Nico on who would come out on top between Fury and Ngannou.
He said: “Nico had Fury, I had Fury-ish, but I was thinking Francis had the power so I was unsure.
“But the way Francis looked, it surprised me and I think it surprised a lot of people as well.
“If you watched Francis’ fights in the UFC, he swings wild, when he knocked out Alistair Overeem the striking wasn’t as sharp.
“But Francis knew and his team knew as well that going into boxing was a whole different sport, this was his first boxing fight.
“It’s a lot more technical, the sweet science right? That’s what he was stepping into.
I’m definitely open to the possibility. Who would have ever thought Francis would fight Tyson Fury?
Muhammad Ali's grandson Biaggio on boxing switch
“But seeing Francis come out and be calm and use his jab and use it to set up other things, he really shocked the boxing world and really represented the MMA guys super well.”
Nico, 23, is coming off his first defeat as a boxer, losing a majority-decision to Sona Akale, 35, in August.
Meanwhile Biaggio, 25, is 5-1 and signed to the Professional Fighters League.
He has won all five of his PFL bouts by knockout and returns this Friday in Washington, DC against Joel Lopez.
Biaggio hopes it will be his final amateur bout before turning pro next year.
He said: “The ideal 2024 would be finish this fight with a win and get my pro career started.
“I don’t expect to jump into the tournament, that would be foolish I think.
“As soon as I turn pro I need to build some resume, build some stability, maybe still be showcase bouts on the card.
“Regardless of where I am on the card I’m still fighting, still getting that experience so the ideal 2024 would be to get three or four fights as a pro and build my record.”