Fury vacates heavyweight belts, loses boxing license
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TYSON Fury’s downward spiral since becoming world heavyweight champion plunged further yesterday when the Briton relinquished his titles and had his license suspended over drug use and medical issues.
Fury’s promoters said the 28-year-old boxer was giving up his WBO and WBA belts with immediate effect to focus on treatment and recovery from drug use and other personal problems.
Hours later, the British Boxing Board of Control said Fury had been temporarily relieved of his license “pending further investigation into anti-doping and medical issues”.
The unbeaten Fury has not fought since beating Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF titles in one of the most stunning upsets in recent times. He has twice pulled out of a rematch with Klitschko, most recently ahead of the rearranged October 29 bout after being declared “medically unfit” by his team.
“I’m unable to defend at this time and I have taken the hard and emotional decision to now officially vacate my treasured world titles and wish the next in-line contenders all the very best as I now enter another big challenge in my life which I know, like against Klitschko, I will conquer,” Fury said in yesterday’s statement.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine this month, Fury said he has been bingeing on cocaine and alcohol to cope with manic depression. “I’ve been out drinking, Monday to Friday to Sunday. I’ve taken drugs, cocaine, on many, many occasions for the last six months.”
The WBO said on Monday that it had received a report from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency in the United States showing that Fury failed a drug test on September 22. The body also said it received information from the British boxing board that Fury refused to be drug-tested last month ahead of the postponed Klitschko fight.
Fury’s promotional company, Hennessy Sports, said the titles were being vacated “out of respect for the governing bodies, the sport of boxing and the heavyweight division”.
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