WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou traded words over social media on Tuesday - in a spat prompted by Mike Tyson.

'Iron Mike' posted a photo of himself and Ngannou to Instagram last Wednesday to promote the MMA star's appearance on his Hotboxin' podcast this week.

Since winning the UFC heavyweight crown last month, Ngannou has made it clear that he will transition to boxing as soon as his time in the Octagon comes to a close. The 34-year-old Cameroonian continued to push this plan during his interview with Tyson.

"I don't want to fight Mike Tyson, but I would like to fight another heavyweight boxer such as Tyson Fury," said Ngannou on the podcast.

'The Gypsy King' was apparently far from impressed with Ngannou's words - and tweeted to let the world know about it.

"Mike Tyson, after I smash Anthony Joshua I’ll roast that guy also @francisngannou," wrote Fury, together with the photo of Tyson and Ngannou together and the words "Easy work."

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It didn't take Ngannou long to respond to Fury, though, as he posted an image of the gruesome cut Fury sustained during his September 2019 fight with fringe contender Otto Wallin.

"If this guy did this to you, what do you think I would do?" asked Ngannou.

"You would do absolutely nothing, I'd smoke you in the first round," replied Fury.

Before this question can be answered in the boxing ring, though, both Fury and Ngannou have major challenges ahead of them in their own respective sports.

Fury has agreed to meet fellow world champion Anthony Joshua later this year to determine who is the best heavyweight on the planet, while Ngannou is set to defend his UFC gold against either Derrick Lewis or Jon Jones before 2021 is out.

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Ngannou's pledge to box, however, is not a marketing stunt or false promise. The monstrous striker has made no secret of his passion for the sport of boxing for some time and it is almost certain that we will see him climb inside the ropes at some point.

A celebrated knockout artist, Ngannou's raw power gives him a great chance of some level of success inside the boxing world. Whether or not he is able to reach the status required to challenge Fury, though, remains to be seen.

If it ever happens, Fury vs Ngannou would be a must-see event.