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Tyson Fury's management issue statement over heavyweight's future

Tyson Fury's management felt compelled to issue a strongly-worded statement regarding their clien...



Tyson Fury's management issue...
Other Sports

Tyson Fury's management issue statement over heavyweight's future

Tyson Fury's management felt compelled to issue a strongly-worded statement regarding their client, but side-stepped the elephant in the room. 

The WBC heavyweight champion has been the topic of much discussion since he claimed his title with a seventh round stoppage of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas in February.

There's been talk of a contractually-obligated third bout with Wilder, or a potential blockbusting unification fight with Anthony Joshua.

But that very future seems to have opened a schism between Bob Arum's Top Rank promotions, Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, and Fury's management company MTK Global.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend, Arum claimed that plans were afoot to pit Fury against unbeaten Australian Jai Opetaia at Sydney's Bankwest Stadium in the summer of 2021.

Opetaia is a cruiserweight champion and would need to move up a weight class in order to face Fury, but Arum can see it happening, "I don’t know if he can beat Tyson, so big and talented. But this kid is very, very skillful.

"If he comes through, it will be a major attraction."

The other partners in the Fury management dance don't see it that way.

A statement released on Monday read:

"Due to the publication of a number of misleading and misrepresentative statements and articles made by third parties relating to Tyson Fury, the following statement is made jointly by MTK Global, Top Rank and Queensberry Promotions.

"Tyson Fury is the globally recognized (sic) number one heavyweight in the world. The current Lineal, WBC and Ring Magazine champion.

"As things stand, Tyson is contracted to a third fight with former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder.

"Any statement made regarding negotiations, talks, venues or any other bout should be disregarded."

Now, how about that elephant in the room.

The communique made no mention of a potential UKAD re-opening of the doping cases involving Fury and his cousin Hughie.

A Daily Mail article at the weekend claimed that the farmer who had offered up statements defending the Furys in 2017.

Both fighters tested positive for nandrolone and received back-dated bans. They say the presence of nandrolone was down to them consuming uncastrated wild boar.

The farmer in question - Martin Carefoot - now says he was paid £25,000 to lie about their failed tests of 2015.

While either Fury is yet to react to the claims of Mr. Carefoot, Frank Warren has defending his client, telling the Mail, "The farmer making these outrageous allegations sent me a letter last October, full of errors and basically telling me he had committed perjury by signing statements under oath and lying.

"When I called him, he asked for money. I told him to clear off and get in contact with UKAD. He chose not to speak to UKAD but instead speak to a newspaper.

"How anybody can take this man seriously is beyond belief. Tyson has never met this man in his life.

"What a load of rubbish. We'll leave this with UKAD to look into and don't expect it to go any further."

UK Anti-Doping is yet to comment.

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Read more about

Anthony Joshua Bob Arum Boxing Deontay Wilder Frank Warren Hughie Fury Jai Opetaia Nandrolone Tyson Fury UKAD UK Anti-Doping