Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou had their first official face-off ahead of their crossover clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October last night in London, and the former UFC heavyweight champion could not resist taking a dig at The Gypsy King's physique.

On the 28th of October, arguably the biggest crossover event since Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor will be taking place as the two heavyweights share the ring together, with Ngannou making his official debut in the sport, while Fury looks for an easy payday. Ahead of the fight, the duo both headed to London for a red carpet launch event, culminating in an intense face-off between the two giants.

The pair were face-to-face for the first time since the 10-round contest was announced, and as Fury walked out to an expectant London crowd in attendance, he ripped off his shirt and posed, leaving fans stunned at his appearance, with some claiming he looked in excess of 300lbs.

Tyson Fury's physique gets mocked by Francis Ngannou

Fury then tried to whip up the crowd, almost daring Ngannou, wearing a crisp suit, to join him in the shirtless parade. However, the suit remained attached to the Cameroonian fighter as the pair stood opposite each other for the photographers to get their cameras clicking. At one point, Fury got on the mic and chanted, "Get it out! Get it out," jokingly daring his opponent to take off more than just his jacket!

Ngannou eyed his opponent up and down, not exactly in awe at the apparent gain Fury seemed to have put on ahead of the clash. Fury is the larger of the two, standing 6ft 9in and weighing 277 pounds. Ngannou is three inches shorter at 6ft 4in, and 20 pounds lighter at 257.

Video: Ngannou seemingly mocks Fury's weight

What did Fury & Ngannou say after the press conference?

Both fighters were asked for their comments after the conference, with Fury saying: "To get to this point is astonishing. I'm honoured to be part of it, I'm honoured Francis is part of it. I don't underestimate anyone; if I go to the boozer and get into a brawl with a drunken guy, he's going to hit me, and he might knock me out, so why wouldn't I prepare 100 per cent for an absolute killing machine? I will give Francis the respect he deserves as a warrior, a man and a world champion."

Ngannou added: "I've had the dream of being a boxer since I was a kid; not just to box, but to box the guy at the top of the mountain. This thing is so big, I can't stop thinking about it. This is history about to be made; it's something I didn't see coming, even though my dream was there, I didn't see it being one of the biggest events in the world. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, but what I know for sure is I'll be out there hunting for this guy's head to take it off, I can guarantee that."

There is a mutual respect between the two combatants, with Fury promising that if he loses, he will shake Ngannou's hand and take him out for a beer (alcohol-free, however, as Ngannou does not drink alcohol). Ngannou referenced that there was a chance he could win when he said: "This is a heavyweight fight. We know that anybody in the heavyweight division can knock anybody out. You don’t need to have a tremendous power."

Read more: Francis Ngannou training footage with Mike Tyson emerges ahead of Tyson Fury fight

The conference will do little to dispel rumours that Fury is not taking this fight seriously, but then, it might just be The Gypsy King doing what he does best away from the ring; having a good time without fear of the consequences. One thing we do knnow is that everyone will be tuning in in October, whether the like the idea of the fight or not!