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Tyson Fury free to box after successful interview with BBBofC

Tyson Fury is now free to box after a successful interview with the British Boxing Board of Control. Photo by Oliver Hardt/Bongarts/Getty Images

Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is free to box in the UK again after a successful interview with the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) on Friday.

Fury has had his suspension lifted "subject to receipt and clearance of all medical requirements" and has already been training in Spain preparing for his ring return.

Fury (25-0, 18 KOs), 29, has not fought since a shock points win over Wladimir Klitschko to lift the IBF, WBA and WBO world titles in Germany in November 2015.

After that brilliant win, Fury's career spun out of control and, after being stripped of one of the belts, lost the other two when he claimed he was mentally unfit to face Klitschko in a rematch.

The BBBofC suspended Fury in October 2016 after he admitted to taking cocaine and drinking excessively as well as having mental health problems in a magazine interview.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) announced last month that Fury can fight again after it backdated a two-year ban for testing positive for the steroid nandrolone in 2015.

Promoter Frank Warren last week applied to the BBBofC for Fury to have his boxing licence back and ESPN understands that April 14 in London and April 21 in Belfast are being considered for the Lancashire-based boxer's comeback.

Fury regularly attacks British rival Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs), the WBA-IBF champion, on social media and his goal is to face him after a few warm-up fights, although Joshua looked to cool talk of a bout between the two.

Fury will have to wait until next year, at the earliest, to face Joshua, 28, who fights WBO titleholder Joseph Parker at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on March 31.

Joshua hopes victory sets up another world title unification clash against the WBC champion, currently American Deontay Wilder who makes a defence against Cuba's Luis Ortiz on March 3.