Probe into claims farmer told porkies for Fury

LONDON • The UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) is poised to launch an investigation into allegations that a member of Tyson Fury's team offered a farmer £25,000 (S$43,740) to provide a false alibi after the heavyweight champion failed a drug test five years ago.

It was alleged in a Daily Mail report on Sunday that a farmer from Preston called Martin Carefoot was offered the money to lie when Fury and his cousin Hughie - also a boxer - tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone in 2015.

The British duo subsequently blamed it on eating uncastrated wild boar meat, citing Carefoot, who claimed to have provided them with the product.

After an expensive and elongated stand-off with Ukad, Fury, 31, and Hughie, 25, received retrospective two-year bans and were able to resume their careers in December 2017.

In the Mail report, Carefoot denied having provided the Fury team with the meat, insisting he was offered £25,000 to make up the story in order to aid their case.

"I was in too deep. They were dangling this carrot. I thought, you're going to get 25 grand for this, it's not a hanging matter. So I went along with it," he said. "But I feel fed up with the lies and deceit. The public needs to know the truth."

In a statement, Ukad said: "We will always review any potential evidence in relation to any anti-doping offence, and take investigatory action where necessary."

Both men could face charges of "tampering with an investigation" - and as it would count as a fresh case, they could receive as much as an eight-year ban if found guilty.

But World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman, whose WBC world heavyweight belt Fury won against Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas last month, said the allegations would have "no impact" on his reign as champion.

"Personally, I prefer to believe Tyson Fury ahead of someone who has already admitted to lying in legal documents for financial gain," Sulaiman told The Sun.

"The person who has claimed he accepted money to lie should be the one on trial, in my personal opinion, especially when he has waited five years to tell his story.

"Secondly, around this time Tyson was not involved with the WBC, he did not fight (Wladimir) Klitschko for the WBC belt, it was for other titles, so this issue does not impact on him being our heavyweight world champion."

Fury's promoter Frank Warren, who was not involved at the time, told The Sun he had previously been sent letters by Carefoot.

"Tyson has never ever met this man and his story is total b***s***," he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE GUARDIAN