Tyson Fury's father sets alarm bells ringing ahead of blockbuster Oleksandr Usyk fight - 'A decline'

And Fury will certainly have a point to prove when the pair finally step into the ring.

Many have condemned the Gypsy King for the way he performed during his recent victory over Francis Ngannou, who was making his boxing bow.

Fury was floored in round three of that match, with A-listers in attendance such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Conor McGregor left stunned as a result.

Though he won via split decision, he's received more criticism than plaudits for his unconvincing display.

And his father, John, has now conceded he's spotted 'a bit of a decline' in his son as the Usyk fight creeps closer.

"The 17th February is the date they have got to work towards," the 59-year-old told The Metro.

"But in my opinion, Tyson needs a bit more time to get his conditioning right and his weight right.

​"For my money, his last three fights, I have seen a bit of decline.

"Not a decline in ability but a decline in strength, power and physical condition.

"I don’t know what they are doing up there, you have to address it. He didn’t look himself out in Saudi.

"He didn’t look right, everything had changed about him, his demeanour, his body.

"I was puzzled. He said he had been training but there is training and there is training.

"If you’re going at your own pace no one is going to tell you otherwise, no one is going to offend you or kick you up the backside.

"No one can teach Tyson how to box, or teach him more than he knows.

"All they can do is put some muscle on there and make his body rock solid.

"For my money he looked fat-thin, he should have been better, a bit heavier with a lot more muscle.

"Tyson is a mammoth fella. He needs to power up in the body department and the only way you do that is a proper course and they take time and we don’t have the time."

While John may have noticed a decline in Fury, the boxing star has no plans to retire from the sport.

The 35-year-old was asked about comments from Eddie Hearn, who recently suggested the Briton may quit boxing after the Usyk fight.

And Fury made it clear he was committed, saying: "I'm not interested in Eddie Hearn. Honesty I'm not interested in what he has to say. Eddie Hearn now works for me.

"I don't care what he said because he's not relevant.

"Why would I be interested in retirement? Honestly, I don't care what any of these people have to say, who even are they now?

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"They're working for me as dossers. It is what it is."

When quizzed on how he's preparing for his fight with Usyk, he added: "I've just been doing what I usually do. Drinking, eating s**t, not training, do what I usually do.

"You know me. Still the same old G."

Fury did, however, then admit he was training - and says he's working hard to boost his chances of reigning supreme.

"I'm always in camp. I'm always training," he continued. "It's no big thing. It's a boxing fight, I've had plenty of them before.

"It's not like I've never been in the gym before. I've just come off a 10 round fight just a couple of weeks ago."