Former cruiserweight champion and Sky Sports pundit, Johnny Nelson, would be shocked if Tyson Fury doesn't score a knockout of Francis Ngannou on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, is making his professional boxing debut against Fury, who most observers regard as the top heavyweight in the sport. 

Their fight will be contested under traditional boxing rules. Fury's WBC title will not be at stake.

To properly prepare for the fight, Ngannou secured the training services of former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

Taking everything into consideration, very few expect Ngannou to see the final bell.

"I'll say it again, Tyson Fury is officially the best heavyweight in the world right now. As far as I'm concerned for Tyson Fury, he’s in a position he's doing what fighters do, he's a prize fighter. He's making a hell of a lot of money getting in there with a guy that's never had a professional fight, but the interest is there," Nelson said to Gambling.com.

"The attention's there, the public want to see it and so therefore he's getting the job done. He'll take the criticism, but we're in this game to make money. We're in this game to be champions, to be the best. Now there'll be only so many gimmies where his fans will accept this kind of stuff. This is a gimmick to me. I think Francis Ngannou has got a punchers chance, but I would be very, very surprised if anything bar a Tyson inside a distant stoppage happens."

Fury and his handlers are beyond confident of victory. They already have an agreement in place for an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Their showdown, which also takes place in Saudi Arabia, is currently targeted to land on a date in December.