Tyson Fury urges UKAD to do the ‘right thing’ but confusion reigns as hearing appears to meet with another delay

Tyson Fury has urged UK Anti-Doping to do the “right thing” when his protracted hearing finally restarts.

Confusion reigned on Monday as his hearing appeared to meet with yet another delay, despite being scheduled to restart after a four-month wait. Neither Fury or UKAD arrived at a planned arbitration panel in London, leaving the boxer's status shrouded in mystery.

The former unified world heavyweight champion has not fought since his stunning world title triumph over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, after he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in February 2015. His cousin and fellow heavyweight Hughie Fury also failed the test.

However the pair were not charged by UKAD until June 2016, by which time Fury was preparing for his rematch with Klitschko. He subsequently pulled out of the fight citing a sprained ankle, on the same day that the UKAD charge was made public.

Both Tyson and Hughie strongly deny the nandrolone charge, instead claiming that the positive rest was a result of eating an entire wild boar – entrails and all – that had not been castrated. It is a similar defence to the one used by Spanish cyclist and two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, who tested positive for the banned steroid in 2010.

Fury hopes to be cleared to return to the ring in either April or May, with a series of lucrative heavyweight match-ups against the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tony Bellew on the horizon. But he could be forced to wait until the New Year for UKAD to deliver their final verdict.

“Hopefully they will do the right thing. I want to get back out there. I know what the outcome should be,” the 29-year-old told Sky.

“End of April, early May. I will be ready by that time, fit and strong. The training plan is set up, so I will be ready by then.”

Fury’s case has been complicated by several other factors, including that he failed a test for cocaine in September 2016. He admitted to taking the recreational drug and said it was to cope with depression related to his injuries as well as his on-going UKAD case.

His case appeared to be nearing its conclusion earlier this year, only for it to be postponed at the last-minute because UKAD feared a potential conflict of interest involving a member of their own panel.

Despite the uncertainty still surrounding his future, Fury has now returned to training and says he is working hard to prepare for a fight in early 2018. But he has played down the prospect of a money-spinning domestic clash anytime soon, insisting that he has no fewer than five fights lined up next year.

open image in gallery

“There is a lot of politics involved in boxing,” he added. “It is not just two fighters getting in the ring and fighting. There is so much to do. One day we would probably both like to get this fight sorted.

“That is all very unimportant to me. Where it is, who it is, what date it is. As long as I get back out there in 2018, I will be happy.

“I am itching to get back in there, and we are well in the planning stages. It is all starting to come together. I want to get four or five fights in next year. I am ready for that amount.”