Fury drug claims put career on line
NOW JOSHUA COULD FACE KLITSCHKO
FEARS that Tyson Fury’s career is unravelling have opened the door to the richest world heavyweight title fight of all time – between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.
Even as Joshua was defending his IBF belt with a seventh-round knockout on Saturday night, Fury was having to deny using steroids before his shock November victory in Germany ended Klitschko’s decade-long reign as world champion.
This, following Fury’s postponement of his July 9 rematch with Klitschko, has created serious doubts as to whether he will box again.
The 27-year-old could indeed walk away if a guilty verdict for doping brings a lengthy ban and the stripping of his world titles. Fury frequently talks of quitting the ring and punishment of that order would be likely to push him over the edge.
It would also throw world heavyweight boxing into chaos, for which the most ready salvation would be a mega-championship unification fight for Joshua’s IBF belt and the WBA, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine titles which would either be restored to Klitschko or declared vacant.
As an open-air stadium fight next spring, it would fill Wembley or Munich twice over. It could happen as early as this November or December in one of the large, roofed-in football grounds in Germany or Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Either way, the gate revenue would be enormous. The fight would also shatter Sky pay-per-view records in Britain and harvest a huge TV audience on RTL in Germany and across the world. The record breakthrough input would come from television in the US, where the Showtime cable network are promoting Joshua heavily and he is already attracting huge interest.
Both camps went on alert as drugs — specifically a report of ‘unacceptable levels of nandrolone’ in his system — dragged Fury into yet another controversy.
Joshua was eyeing a November fight with Fury before the Manchester giant, citing a badly wrenched ankle, postponed his return bout against Klitschko until October at the earliest.
With stories circulating of Fury attending a rave in Wales and then going to a pub to watch England play Slovakia in the European Championship finals last Monday, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: ‘There is no certainty that Tyson will fight again. We will have to wait and see what happens with him but we would be very interested in fighting Wladimir.’
As Fury parties with England fans in France ahead of their last-16 tie against Iceland, Klitschko is annoyed at being kept out of action for what will be almost a year, particularly as he is in the twilight of his career at 40.
Diplomatically, his manager Bernd Boente says: ‘We are confident that the British Boxing Board of Control and the anti-doping authorities in the UK will deal with this latest development in a correct and prompt manner. As soon they come to a decision we will have to consider
our position.’
Hennessy Sports, on behalf of Fury, issued a statement saying: ‘We are baffled by this story. Tyson absolutely denies allegations of doping. He looks forward to recovering from his injury and defending his titles against Klitschko in October.’
It is thought that Fury’s defence against the positive test — as well as that of his cousin and fellow heavyweight, Hughie — could centre around the possible consumption of contaminated meat.
That has become a problematic case to argue, as Australia’s Manchester-based heavyweight Lucas Browne found when he was stripped of his WBA ‘regular’ title last month.
Tyson and Hughie Fury are being asked to explain the nandrolone finding to a commission of the Boxing Board.
Joshua, following his determined stoppage of Dominic Breazeale at London’s O2 Arena, has declared himself ready to fight Fury, Klitschko or WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
After dismantling another American, Charles Martin, 11 weeks earlier to earn the IBF title, Joshua found game opposition for his first defence in Breazeale, who took some punishing hits throughout the contest but came back for more.
In the end, another impressive display of power-punching finished off the brave challenger and opened up a treasure trove of opportunities, with Hearn talking up fights not only at Wembley but in the United States, Africa and Dubai.
But the key to Aladdin’s Cave is Klitschko. ‘All cool,’ said Joshua. ‘Exciting.’ As he is himself.