Tyson Fury's confidence will have 'taken a hit' ahead of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk, according to former boxer David Price.
However, the 40-year-old can't see the bout being pushed back again with just over a week remaining.
Fury and Usyk will lock horns in Saudi Arabia on May 18 in one of the biggest fights of the 21st century.
It has the makings of a classic, especially with both men undefeated in their respective careers so far.
Tyson Fury is currently preparing for his huge fight with Oleksandr Uysk later this month
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Fury's fight with Usyk has already been postponed several times, having originally been due to take part in December and February.
Some, such as George Groves, has raised fears that the blockbuster clash will be subject to another delay.
Yet Price, speaking exclusively to GB News via Grosvenor Sport, can't see that happening.
The 40-year-old does feel Fury's confidence may have been dealt a blow, however, after he narrowly beat Francis Ngannou back in October.
Price said: "Yeah, I think the fight will go ahead. The fight's too big to not go ahead.
"He’s come this far Tyson Fury, like I said, he's never been beaten before.
"He's not going to not fight Oleksandr Usyk because he's scared of him or whatever.
"What happened in the last fight will have played a part in in what's going on with this fight. The Ngannou fight was as bad as a defeat for Tyson Fury, in a lot of people's eyes, and probably in his heart.
"It has probably taken some doing to get himself back in the right frame of mind, you know? His pride was hurt after the fight, and he’d been on top for so long before that, it would have been a bit of a shock to the system, but it's about getting back on the horse mentally and emotionally.
"Even though he won the fight, I do believe his confidence would have taken a hit.
"So, you know, I think the fight's going to go ahead."
"As for it being postponed, these things happen. It's one of them, these things take time. None of it is mind games, he had to postpone the fight as he got a cut, there's no arguing with that.
"Looking back, do you remember when Klitschko was dominating?
"I think it might have even been the Tyson Fury fight that he kept postponing, people can play mind games and things like that to make things go in their favour and give them every little bit of small marginal gain.
"I just think it’s down to an incident that's happened, but it's probably worked in his favour that it happened when it did because it’s given him more time to get the idea for this fight because I thought it was a quick turn around after the Ngannou fight to be honest and it might have been meant to be."
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David Price feels Tyson Fury's confidence must have 'taken a hit' ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight
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If Fury does beat Usyk, many will see the Gypsy King as the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Yet Price isn't buying into that narrative, with the Briton admitting it's a 'subject opinion' and everybody will have different stances on the matter.
"It is difficult to say, isn't it? It's a subjective opinion," he said.
"People who were following boxing in the 80s would probably say Mike Tyson is the best of all time, you always look back with tinted glasses with sport.
"You don't really appreciate fully at the time the top-level sportsman or athlete until you look back and you go wow, they were actually really good.
"People were doing it with Lennox Lewis for years, but in fairness, Tyson Fury gets a lot of appreciation, a lot of praise, a lot of people are on ‘the best ever’ bandwagon.
Tyson Fury is currently in the Middle East ahead of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18
"There's an argument for it because he’s yet to be beaten, and how many heavyweights have come this far in the career to be an undisputed champion without a defeat. The only other one I can think of is Mike Tyson, and you’ve got Muhammad Ali.
"With all due respect, to the older generation of fighters, I think the modern athletes are more superior than 50 years ago.
"There’s better living standards, better dietary nutrition advice, better sports science available, and all that. So, there's a lot of variables which could make the arguments one way or another.
"There's certainly an argument for him being the best, but in my opinion, as I'd have to sit on the fence and say there's too many different arguments for everyone else.
"It's one of them, you can sit in a pub and argue about this all night long.
"But he's 100 per cent in the conversation if he beats Usyk, he's got to be up there in the top three. I think the top three or four, definitely."
