Tyson Fury insists Francis Ngannou is 'more dangerous to deal with' than Oleksandr Usyk

When rumors of Tyson Fury facing Oleksandr Usyk later this year started to come out, fans felt like Francis Ngannou was being disrespected.

On Oct. 28, the former UFC heavyweight champion is set to meet "The Gypsy King" in a blockbuster crossover showdown in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou is a huge underdog ahead of the fight, and for good reason. The biggest question mark surrounds whether or not he can land a clean punch on the WBC titleholder.

With his destructive one-punch power, the fight remains a dangerous one for Fury, even if he is levels above his opponent when it comes to boxing skill.

In an interview with ESPN, Fury acknowledged as much, even going as far as to state that his fight with Ngannou is far "more dangerous" than his expected undisputed heavyweight clash with Usyk down the line.

"A lot of people are on about this undisputed fight, fantastic, but I have a much more dangerous person to deal with on next Saturday than I do after for the undisputed fight, I believe," Fury said.

"Because Francis is a bigger man, stronger, more powerful and has knockout capability. As we've seen with Oleksandr Usyk, he doesn't really do much damage to people he hits," Fury continued. "So you could probably let Usyk punch you all about the head and he'll give you a black eye. If you let Ngannou punch you all about the head, he's probably going to rattle your brain for you."

Fury Reveals His Expectations for Ngannou Fight on Oct. 28

The difference between the contests is clear to see when you look at the opponents Fury is facing and what they bring to the table.

Although Ngannou is the hardest hitter the sport of MMA has ever seen, former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk relies more on speed and footwork to get his hand raised.

Despite Ngannou coming into this fight with a completely different set of experiences to any man Fury has previously shared the ring with, "The Gypsy King" isn't concerned by his fighting style.

Revealing his own experience sparring with MMA fighters, the Englishman previewed the matchup and detailed what he expects from Ngannou in just over a week's time.

"He won't do anything that I've not seen before," Fury insisted. "I've sparred with a lot of kickboxers and MMA fighters over the years. They're all strong and tough guys, and they all can take a good beating usually.

"So I'm expecting him to be fit and strong and motivated. He's getting an awful lot of money to be here and fight, so I'm sure he is going to have a good game plan, and I'm sure he is going to try and execute it," Fury added.