'Tyson Fury might be over the edge – Deontay Wilder trilogy took its toll on him'

David Price, a former British heavyweight rival of Tyson Fury, reckons the Gypsy King's gruelling trilogy with Deontay Wilder may have accelerated his decline.

Despite two wins and a draw against the American powerhouse, Price believes those bouts have taken their toll on Fury's body. The 35-year-old will strive to become the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis when he squares off against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia this Saturday night.

However, Price, who beat Fury as an amateur, felt uneasy witnessing his performance against boxing rookie Francis Ngannou last year, when the Morecambe managed only a narrow points victory.

"I was concerned [after the Ngannou fight] and I'm still concerned that he might have begun to decline," said Price in association with Grosvenor Sport, via the MEN.

"He's had a long pro career, he's won virtually every fight. But those Deontay Wilder wars 100% affected him and they might have tipped him over the edge.

"He is on the wrong side of 35 now. Age catches up with everyone and he's probably got a lot of little niggling injuries that we don't know about, which probably have an effect on training and everything else."

Nevertheless, Price maintains Fury will have enough left in the tank to see off Usyk, adding: "He probably is on the decline but he's still got big performances in him, that's for sure.

"I think Fury's going to find a way to win. I think he may be behind on the scorecards going into the second half of the fight, but I think he'll find a way to win."

Price also expressed his worries about Usyk, 37, stating: "Usyk is brilliant, fantastic skill-wise, he's got everything. But his fights against Daniel Dubois and the second fight against AJ make me think he'll struggle against a bigger man, and Fury's the biggest of the big men."