Tyson Fury could face fresh Ukad investigation over farmer's meat claim
The UK Anti-Doping Agency is poised to launch an investigation into allegations that a member of Tyson Fury’s team offered a farmer £25,000 to provide a false alibi after the heavyweight champion failed a drugs test in 2015.
Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion, and his cousin Hughie, both blamed their positive tests for nandrolone on eating uncastrated wild boar or ingesting contaminated supplements – citing two statements from the Preston farmer Martin Carefoot saying he had given them the meat in their defence. However, Carefoot now says he provided two false statements after being offered a financial inducement by a member of Fury’s team to lie.
Both fighters received backdated doping bans of two years in December 2017, enabling both men to return the ring soon after. Last month Tyson completed an astonishing comeback from drink and drug problems by defeating
Deontay Wilder to become a world heavyweight champion once more – and has since been a favourite to win the BBC’s sports personality of the year award.
However, the Furys’ careers could be on the line if Ukad finds the account of Carefoot, given to the Mail on Sunday, to be credible. Both men could face charges of “tampering with an investigation” – and because it would count as a fresh case, they could receive as much as an eight-year ban if found guilty.
In a statement, Ukad said: “We will always review any potential evidence in
relation to any anti-doping offence, and take investigatory action where necessary. If anyone has information that could be of interest to Ukad and its investigations on any matter, we urge them to contact us.”
While the cousins insisted to Ukad investigators during the original case that they never intentionally cheated, Carefoot says that he was visited in November 2016 by a friend who knew a member of the Fury entourage. Carefoot alleges he was asked to lie by saying he sourced the boar for the Furys, despite having never delivered boar to them.
Carefoot also signed two witness statements confirming he had been the supplier to Team Fury, which were forwarded to Ukad via lawyers and the Mail on Sunday said it had seen.
According to the paper, the second statement included a line that read: “I supplied a range of animal meats and offal to Team Fury, including wild boar and pigs.” Carefoot now claims those statements were lies, telling the paper: “I have never kept wild boar. I have never killed a wild boar.” When asked if he had been willing to commit perjury for the Furys, Carefoot said: “I suppose if I’d had to. I was in too deep. They were dangling this carrot. I thought, you’re going to get 25 grand for this, it’s not a hanging matter. So I went along with it.”
Carefoot, who says he was never paid the money he claims he was promised, also told the paper: “I feel sick of the lies and deceit and the public need to know the truth.”
Neither Fury has commented on the allegations, but their management