"Barely scratched the surface" - Coach talks about Francis Ngannou's striking prowess ahead of boxing match against Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou is set to make his boxing debut when he faces Tyson Fury in an exhibition bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend. Eric Nicksick, who is the head coach at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts and will be in the Cameroon-born fighter's corner for the bout, discussed his growth as a boxer.

Nicksick claimed that the former UFC heavyweight champion is taking the bout seriously. He noted that Ngannou will apply what he has learned in boxing to mixed martial arts before adding:

"I think you also see just the intricacies of how important the striking becomes and the angles and the rhythms and the feints and all those other things because in MMA, I think you work on those things, but it's more with a broad scope. Now, you really are just fine tuning the essence of what actual boxing looks like and what it is for the guys at the highest, highest levels who have been doing it their entire lives."

Nicksick continued:

"He's barely scratched the surface of what he's able to do when it comes to the boxing side of things. I think it's very interesting to think about and see just his development and his improvement as just kind of a one-sided athlete when it comes to just boxing."

Check out Eric Nicksick's full comments on Francis Ngannou below:

While Ngannou will face Fury in a boxing match this weekend, he will reportedly make his return to mixed martial arts in 2024. The former UFC heavyweight champion signed a historic deal with the PFL after becoming the first reigning champion to leave the promotion since B.J. Penn in 2004.

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Francis Ngannou reveals how he landed Mike Tyson as cornerman

In addition to Eric Nicksick, Francis Ngannou will be cornered by Mike Tyson, Dewey Cooper and John M'Bumba.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, 'The Predator' revealed how he landed the International Boxing Hall of Famer as a cornerman, stating:

"Since the first time that I met him four years ago - I think it was July 2019 - from that very first time, I made the request for him to be in my corner if ever and whenever I fight Tyson Fury and he accepted and then we stayed in touch. I've been on his podcast a couple times after that and then we stayed in touch. We got in a couple occasions we had to meet and talk, but never about this fight until it became real four months ago and I made a call."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on Mike Tyson below:

When asked if he believes his opponent is annoyed that the man he is named after will be in his corner, Ngannou responded that it is Tyson Fury's problem. 'The Predator' will look to shock the world by pulling off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.