Frank Warren believes that Francis Ngannou will provide a stern test for Tyson Fury, but expects the WBC champion to emerge victorious.
Fury was linked to title fights against Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk and others, but instead decided to take on former UFC fighter Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on October 28.
His title will not be on the line but the WBC are permitting him to retain his status as champion, after 10 months without defending his strap.
Warren, writing in BoxingScene.com, predicted that Ngannou will have the talent to last in the ring.
He said:”I just believe we shouldn’t underestimate Francis Ngannou – and seeing him in person has only reinforced this view. He will come to fight and I shouldn’t imagine for a minute that he will be an easy knockover job.
“He is robust, battle-hardened and powerful. And, according to our man Joe Joyce, he is not a bad boxer. However, in no way do I expect him to try and outbox Tyson.
“Francis will come with the express aim of landing the heavy artillery and, should it get over-physical in there, we need a strong referee on the night.
“Can he bully and intimidate Tyson? That is the question and many millions of eyes will be trained on Riyadh on October 28 to find out.”