“Listen, I understand now that Tyson is testing himself. But, I can tell you now, his legs aren’t there anymore. I understand the only way he will believe that and see that is when the first bell rings.”
The boxer previously retired the year after the final Wilder fight – the fourth time he had walked away from the sport – but returned to beat Derek Chisora.
His father claimed to have pleaded with him to hang up his gloves for good after that bout.
He went on to be knocked down in a crossover fight with Francis Ngannou, a mixed martial artist – winning on a controversial split decision – prior to his defeats by Usyk.
His father, who claimed the pair fell out after the boxer had taken the word of others over the man who “built his story”, said: “Don’t forget, in the last fight, he went down four times – huge, heavy punches. He fought his heart out, went to the absolute limit, and gave everything he had to get that knockout. But when he got it, he had nothing left afterwards.
“He laid it all on the line. He even said himself – after everything – that he was prepared to die in there if it came to it. That’s the kind of mentality he had: willing to risk everything in the ring.”
