Tyson Fury To Be Investigated By UKAD After Farmer Alleges He Was Offered Money To Lie Back In 2015
Fight fans may have read how, over the weekend, a story appeared in a UK tabloid in which a UK farmer has alleged he was offered the sum of £25,000 to lie about providing Tyson and Hughie Fury with the boar meat the two ate back in 2015. The two fighters later tested positive for nandrolone (in February of 2015), they claim as a result of digesting the meat. The farmer, who says he never received the £25,000, alleges he was told to make the story up, that he never in fact gave the Furys the boar meat.
Promoter Frank Warren has rubbished the farmer’s claims, saying there is absolutely no truth to his story: “he chose not to speak with UKAD but instead speak to a newspaper,” Warren said of the farmer. And WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has gone on record saying he is far more inclined to believe Fury, who of course insists he and Hughie are innocent of any wrongdoing, than the farmer who “has already admitted to lying in legal documents for financial gain.”
Nevertheless, UKAD will launch an investigation into the claims and if found guilty of any tampering with evidence from the 2015 investigation both Furys could be suspended for eight years. Sulaiman says Fury would not lose the WBC heavyweight title he currently holds even if he was suspended.
“Personally, I prefer to believe Tyson Fury ahead of someone who has already admitted to lying in legal documents for financial gain,” Sulaiman said to The Sun. “The person who has claimed he accepted money to lie should be the one on trial, in my personal opinion, especially when he has waited five years to tell his story. Secondly, around this time, Tyson was not involved with the WBC, he did not fight [Wladimir] Klitschko for the WBC belt, it was for other titles, so this issue does not impact on him being our heavyweight world champion.”
Fury is currently back in training, working ahead of his third fight with Deontay Wilder. Even if – and it seems to be a very, very big if – Fury is found guilty of any wrongdoing, he would possibly still be able to fight outside of the UK. And as fans know, Fury has boxed his last four fights.
Again, all members of Team-Fury are adamant no cheating ever took place.
