Tyson Fury Doping Issues & The Mad Mad World We Live In!
By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
There are times in the boxing world you feel you need therapy. This does not always happen after watching a beguiling boxing match but DOES tend to happen outside of the ring. Let’s be frank, the politics of boxing is nuts. Over in the UK we have a nutty problem which is hard at work in the world of “Team Fury”. Both Tyson Fury 25-0, 18 KO’s, and his cousin Hughie Fury, 18-0, 10 KO’s, are in court this week – well their “representatives” have been – to lodge papers suing the UK Anti-Doping agency. This is because they were allegedly found to have an unduly high level of nandrolone in their system in a test dated February 2015. This was some months BEFORE the fight in Germany when Tyson won the world titles he now holds.
There are now reports that two samples taken from the boxers – in March and May 2015 – were “contradictory”. As they were inconclusive, the Fury’s are upset. In a further strange twist, the suspensions that had apparently been imposed have now been lifted on both boxers. I didn’t even know they had been suspended but I do wonder if the best way to find out if you have ever been suspended is when the suspension is lifted?
As for those suspensions, they were imposed the very day that Tyson pulled out of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, 64-4, 53 KO’s! Coincidence? Well, if this had been a free and open process, perhaps there would be little credence given to the notion that someone was “at it”.
Tyson is presumably now able to enter a ring – any ring – to defend his titles. In the meantime the Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed that Tyson and Hughie are being charged and will appear before them. Now it shall also go into a court to be decided – I have to be honest and say I am not sure what could be decided in a court but there we are; except it probably won’t.
These things have a tendency to blow themselves out and whilst the anger of Peter Fury alongside John, Hughie and Tyson is genuinely heartfelt I have a funny feeling the men in the suits shall come up with a compromise. What it leaves is too many people shaking their heads. There are things in this world that drive me to believe it is a crazy place to live. We have a Presidential election in the USA that has polarized opinion. We have had two referenda in the UK that has left the islands with more unanswered questions than the one each sought to answer. We have a regime in North Korea hell bent on making the front page of Time Magazine and not for the right reasons whilst we have a Russian Bear that is claiming to be totally sober whilst slurring their explanations and staggering towards Rio. Just what are we to make of the most decorated of our world heavyweight champions being accused of being a cheat?
The Fury’s have always believed that they are the subject of racism and prejudice. With the bizarre nature of all this, they might have a point. Tyson has not been given the credit he deserves, they cry. He has not. It is due to his heritage and his race; it is mainly due, in my humble opinion, to his mouth and opinions. He deserves the credit for doing something that nobody came close to for 11 years; he certainly does. And to be fair to Tyson he is not attempting to become the leader of the Free World. Perhaps his opinions should matter less to us than his sporting prowess and his progress from Batman to Fatman should be discussed more widely than any dubious opinions. If we need to quote any dodgy right winger with questionable views and ethics, politics gives us plenty of scope…
Just as a certain Mr Trump has suggested that the future election may be rigged, there shall probably be suggestions that the process of testing doping is also skewed against the Fury camp – apparently both Hughie and Tyson have passed numerous tests before and since. I don’t think this is a prejudiced system but I do think the whole episode has been very badly handled.
As I sit here writing this though I am reminded of how serious such allegations are as we have not yet had the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics and the first drug failure has been registered – and it’s a boxer from Ireland. These are very serious challenges facing the sport and sports in general. Tyson – who believes all drugs should be allowed or at least said that at one point – may get two days in court. I do hope he takes someone in with him to speak for his cause.
If they all wanted this to be front page news for the wrong reasons, they have manged in without style. If they wanted it dealt with efficiently and quietly then a few words of advice – If there was a positive result, announce it. If there have been contradictory results; admit it. If there is a dispute; settle it. If people are being non inclusive; dump them. But for the sake of the sport and to remove it from further ridicule do us all a favor; resolve it!
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