|
Tyson Fury is free to resume his boxing career -- subject to regaining his boxing licence -- after he accepted a backdated two-year doping ban, UKAD have confirmed. The former world champion -- along with cousin and fellow heavyweight fighter Hughie -- has been under investigation by UKAD since June 2016, after he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone a year earlier. Fury and his cousin regularly denied taking the banned substance and claimed that the positive result came as a result of eating wild boar that had not been castrated. UKAD released a statement on Tuesday which read: "UKAD's position is that the anti-doping rule violations it has asserted have been committed and the consequences set out in the UK Anti-Doping Rules should apply. "Tyson and Hughie Fury's position is that they have never knowingly or deliberately committed any anti-doping rule violation. In recognition of the respective counter-arguments and the risks inherent in the dispute resolution process, each side has accepted a compromise of its position. "Taking into account the delays in results management that meant charges were not brought in respect of the nandrolone findings until June 2016, and the provisional suspensions that Tyson and Hughie Fury have already effectively served, the two year period of ineligibility is backdated to 13 December 2015, and therefore expires at midnight on 12 December 2017." The same statement also confirmed that the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) have agreed to the outcome. Fury, who has not fought since he stunned Wladimir Klitschko in Nov. 2015 to claim three major world titles, responded to the news by posting a tweet which read: "Guess who's back?" "I'm a fighting man through and through and I've never backed down from anyone in my life and I was certainly not going to back down from fighting this dispute," said Fury in a statement released by his management company, Hennessy Sports. "Hughie and I have maintained our innocence from day one and we're now happy that it has finally been settled with UKAD and that we can move forward knowing that we'll not be labelled drug cheats. "I can now put the nightmare of the last two years behind me, which has been particularly hard on my family, but with their support and strength, along with my uncle Peter, Hennessy Sports and Morgan Sports Law, we've fought through relentlessly together and I can now enjoy Christmas with my family and new born daughter." Fury, 29, has been eyeing a return to the ring over the last few months and has returned to training in a bid to get back to full fitness. The former champion has previously said that he intends to fight three times in 2018 and, although he is still to have his boxing licence restored by the BBBoC, he is a big step closer to putting his plans into action. He continued: "Next year I will be back doing what I do best, better than ever and ready to reclaim the World titles which are rightfully mine. It's time to get the party started #themacisback" The heavyweight has repeated his desire to fight Anthony Joshua and wasted no time in resurfacing his ongoing feud with the former Olympic gold medalist. "Where you at boy?" Fury said in a tweet directed at the IBF and WBA world champion. "I'm coming for you punk ent [sic] no1 blocking my path now."
|
