Pep: Vinny could have won us the title
TYSON Fury and Frank Warren fear the heavyweight’s comeback could be delayed until at least the end of the year after the postponement of his hearing with UK Anti-Doping.
UKAD charged Tyson and his cousin Hughie Fury with the ‘presence of a prohibited substance’ on June 24, 2016 – 16 months after traces of the banned substance nandrolone had reportedly been found in a urine sample he gave in February 2015. Each deny any wrongdoing.
The hearing surrounding the two heavyweights began last Monday, but was halted yesterday owing to UKAD’s concerns surrounding a potential conflict of interest on its panel.
Warren, Tyson Fury’s promoter, has revealed that if it is rescheduled instead of dismissed, as they still hope, it will not take place until October.
They are therefore concerned that would not only threaten his planned comeback on July 8, but keep him inactive for another six months in what should be the peak years of his career. “(If it drags on with UKAD then the hearing) won’t be heard until October,” said Warren, 62. “It’s a liberty. “There’s going to be a scream about that, that can’t be right. The man’s got a living to get and this thing took place in 2015.
“It’s disgraceful. You’ve either got a case or you haven’t got a case.
“I don’t know when the (British Boxing Board of Control) will come in.
“You’ve got to ask them that. They thought this was all settled in 2015.
“If (UKAD) chuck it out, he’s on the card (July 8, when Billy Joe Saunders defends his WBO middleweight title against Georgia’s Avtandil Khurtsidze in London). I spoke to Fury and he’s training hard.
“(UKAD) have got a problem. He’s 28 years of age: boxing’s a young man’s game, he’s entitled to make a living. If he’s done wrong then get it over with. How can this be right?
“Somebody’s got to intervene, even if it’s the minister for sport (Tracey Crouch). This, on any level, can’t be right.”
Warren also spoke of the episode Fury was involved in with testers, which suggests he is at risk of being accused of refusing a test and that could even lead to a potential fouryear ban.
“His big problem was, when they went for his test, Tyson told them to f*** off. He filmed it; I’ve seen it.
“He said ‘What you’ve done to me is persecute me.’ This is when he wasn’t feeling too good. (Fury vacated his world titles last year to concentrate on his recovery from depression).
“Then Peter (Fury, Tyson’s uncle and trainer) found out and called them, an hour later he said ‘Can you come back?’ and they wouldn’t come back. (Boxing) is what he does and having it hanging over your head, if it is then (October), then it’s been two-and-a-half years and that’s outrageous.
“He’s said some stupid things there’s no doubt about that. (But) there should be no prejudice.
“You’re there to decide on the facts. End of story.
“Whether you like him or you don’t like him, that should have nothing to do with it.
“It should all be based on facts and what I can’t get in my head is they’ve brought this case, why has it dragged on for two years?”