Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury STRIPPED OF DIGNITY
‘US customs interrogated me, they reckoned I looked shady’
TYSON FURY fought for two years to obtain a US visa – then found himself strip-searched during a four-hour interrogation when he finally touched down.
The former heavyweight world champion based himself in America for two months ahead of his title challenge against Deontay Wilder on Saturday.
Following the promotional tour in London, New York and Los Angeles, Fury headed for the Big Bear mountains to train at an altitude of 7,000 feet.
But after struggling with the breathless conditions, he returned to sea level to prepare just seven miles from the Staples Centre in LA where he will bid to upset KO artist Wilder.
And Fury revealed the battle he faced to convince the authorities to let him in following his confrontation with the champion after his win over Artur Szpilka in New York in 2016.
Struggled
He said: “I do not even have a criminal record and I struggled to get a visa to come over.
“I was denied access for over two years to get into the US on whatever grounds they wanted... if they say it’s Tuesday, then it’s Tuesday.
“When I arrived at customs last month I was taken into the backroom and stripsearched – they said I looked like a shady character. I was held up at the airport for over four hours and it took me nearly two-and-a-half years to get a visa because they said I could have instigated a riot when I attended the Wilder fight.
“I had to have loads of meetings and eventually I was allowed in.”
Following his belated Stateside stint, Fury claims he plans to continue his career in America – and snub England.
Should he dethrone Wilder, he is contractually obliged to a rematch with the 33-year-old, a fight that would once again take place in the American’s backyard.
Gouged
But Fury insisted even a future unification clash with fellow countryman Anthony Joshua wouldn’t lure him back.
He said: “I will not be boxing in England anymore, you heard it here first.
“I am the next pay-per-view star of America after I beat Deontay Wilder. This is the land of opportunity.”
One man who will not be ringside for Fury’s third fight since his comeback is his dad John, who gouged a man’s eye out in 2011 and served four years of an 11-year prison sentence.
Fury explained: “My dad would never even try to get in the US, his record is definitely too serious and he is not stupid enough to try to sneak in.”
BT Sport Box Office will exclusively show Wilder v Fury on December 1, available to buy for just £19.95