Fury’s father could be denied NZ visa

‘ I think any of those issues may have been decades ago.’ DAVID HIGGINS

IMMIGRATION New Zealand has indicated Hughie Fury’s trainer and father Peter will need a special exemption and character waiver due to his extensive criminal history to enter this country should the WBO title fight against Joseph Parker be held here in April.

Parker’s promoters, Duco Events, are seeking sponsorship and working towards hosting the 25-year-old’s first world title defence in New Zealand against undefeated Brit Fury, cousin of former heavyweight champion Tyson.

But there could be a major hitch in the works for the Fury camp, with Immigration New Zealand confirming Peter would need to jump through several hoops to be granted a visa.

Peter is a convicted drugs baron who stalked Manchester’s notorious underworld for decades.

He was jailed for 10 years in 1995 for possession and intent to supply amphetamine – only to continue orchestrating his business from behind bars. In 2008 he received another two years for drug-related money laundering.

Five years ago a court ordered him to pay back the assets and funds he had hidden from the court.

In 2013, Peter’s application for a visa into the United States was knocked back by authorities due to those two prison terms and he was forced to watch Tyson Fury’s fight against Steve Cunningham from Canada, rather than work from his nephew’s corner at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Immigration New Zealand is yet to receive an application from Peter to come here in April but pointed to section 15 of the act which states:

‘‘Any person sentenced to a term of imprisonment of five years or more, or to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or more in the last 10 years, is an ‘‘excluded person’’, and may not be granted a visa unless granted a special direction.

‘‘In accordance with immigration instructions, certain criminal convictions will mean that the person is normally ineligible for the grant of visa unless a character waiver is granted.‘‘

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, was denied a visa to enter New Zealand in 2012.

Peter does not hide from his chequered past.

‘‘What is prison like – well, when you go to the toilet, you just see the toilet and you don’t see the vermin down below it,’’ he once told BoxingScene.

‘‘There’s a life down there that you don’t want to see – that’s where you are in prison. You’re in hell on earth. That man sat next to you can easily put a knife through your neck because they’re in for life and are in despair with nothing to lose.’’

If Peter is denied entry to New Zealand it would be a major blow to his son’s hopes of defeating Parker.

Duco Events promoter David Higgins had not approached Immigration New Zealand but was confident Peter would not suffer the same fate as Tyson.

‘‘The nature of it is at the more benign end of the scale so that might not be necessary. If it became an issue it’s a matter for their camp about who would train him [Hughie]. He [Peter] comes across as quite a solid bloke with a good head on his shoulders,’’ Higgins said.

‘‘I think any of those issues may have been decades ago.

‘‘He’s now just one of the world’s best boxing trainers who took Tyson Fury to victory against all odds over Wladimir Klitschko.

‘‘That’s what he’s devoting himself too.’’