Francis Ngannou knows what he wants – a big-hitting war with fellow power puncher Deontay Wilder.

The former UFC superstar-turned-boxer is eyeing a return to the boxing ring in 2025, after two lucrative bouts with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou and Wilder could meet in the ring this year

Ngannou was brutally knocked out cold by Joshua last March and has yet to return to the squared circle.

He has fought just once since, but in the PFL smartcage where he defeated Renan Ferreira in October on his debut to become heavyweight champion.

But the Cameroon slugger is eyeing up a return in both combat sports this year.

Wilder and Ngannou have always looked set to meet with the pair having discussed a two-fight deal in the past.

It would be an extremely marketable showdown, given the pair are widely viewed as the two most powerful punchers in combat sports.

And Ngannou has issued a fierce plea for the fight to take place, insisting there is a huge chance boxing fans will see a knockout if they meet.

“I will do boxing next,” Ngannou told Sportsbook Review. “I want to. I’m not done with boxing. It’s not that MMA is easy.

“It’s the sport that I understand better and I have more experience in, but I say go for boxing.

“[I’m passionate about fighting Deontay Wilder] because there’s an 80 percent chance that somebody will go to sleep. It will be one or the other.

“Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out.

Ngannou is eyeing more fights in the boxing ring after his MMA successCredit: Riyadh Season

“I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder.

“I’m saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove ‘no, it’s me [who hits harder].

“Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay? Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind.

“With this sport, there are ups and downs. For some reason when you are in your downs, people always find some scenario like, ‘He’s done, he’s old, he wasn’t what he thought he was.’

“I heard the same thing about me back in 2018, a long time before I even became a champion.”

Wilder has yet to return since suffering back-to-back defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

Wilder is out of form but is notorious for his dynamite powerCredit: Getty

The ‘Bronze Bomber’ looked a shadow of his gun-slinging self, but still believes he has enough left in the tank to return at the age of 39.

A showdown between the pair would represent a huge commercial event, and an opportunity for the pair to net a lucrative payday.

It will also represent unique bragging rights, with both fighters likely to call themselves the most heavy handed boxer on the planet if they win.

There has even been talk of the pair meeting in a mixed-rules bout, but time will tell whether the fight will come to fruition.

Ngannou has previously broke the record for the most powerful ever punch when recorded on a punch machine.

But Wilder be determined to roll back the years, and add another stoppage win to his record.