Tyson Fury was outrun by his dad John just weeks out from his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.
Fury was supposed to face Wilder on July 24 but had to move the bout to October 9 when he came down with coronavirus during an outbreak in his camp.
And after he arrived home in the UK to continue training and tend to his pregnant wife Paris, his preparations were hit when his daughter Athena had severe health complications upon birth.
The tot spent days in an intensive care unit, and was reportedly even declared dead at one point by doctors, before she eventually pulled through and was sent home safely.
And during the waiting period, Fury's training took a severe hit, with his father now saying that he was able to outrun his son just weeks out from his first world title defence against old rival Wilder.
"I went to Alder Hey Hospital, I accompanied him just to keep him right," John told Sky Sports.
"I said 'look, you've got to do some form of exercise, just don't sit in here. Let's go for a bit of a run, you'll feel better after it.'
"I'm 56 years old, 20 stone, I outran him. We went for a run round Liverpool and his lungs were on fire, I thought 'look at this'. My lungs? You couldn't hear them. He struggled with a three-mile run.
"He said afterwards 'that nearly killed me' so that's where he was at four weeks prior to that big night."
Fury's family considered forcing him to pull out of the bout as things remained up in the air with baby Athena, but they ultimately powered through, and the Brit ended up winning the trilogy.
He was down twice in the fourth round, but managed to viciously stop Wilder in the eleventh with a brutal knockout in one of the most exciting heavyweight fights in history.
And despite feeling that his son wasn't ready, John committed to help boost his confidence as the bout grew closer.
Could you tell that Tyson Fury wasn't fully prepared for his fight with Deontay Wilder last weekend? Let us know in the comments section!
"He was going to do it anyway," the elder Fury continued. "So what I said was: 'OK then, I'll try to make the best of a bad job. I'll fill him full of confidence'.
"But deep down inside I was worried because I thought 'you know what, he shouldn't be doing this'.
"There's a power to be in boxing, Tyson wanting to stand up for his country knowing Anthony Joshua just lost his belts at home, two miles from where he lives.
"He thought: 'You know what, I can't be like this man, I've got to do my own thing, stand for my country. Win, lose or draw it's on!'"
Ultimately, Tyson did defend his title, and now looks set to face the winner of Dillian Whyte's fight with Otto Wallin on October 30, with an undisputed fight likely to happen later next year.
He will have to wait to see who wins the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua in early 2022 before opting to fight for the belts he once held in 2015 before being stripped without ever losing a fight.
