LOS ANGELES — Tyson Fury requested that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) and the United State Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) be involved in order to make it as fair as possible in advance of his bout against heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder.
“I’ve got USADA and VADA. So, we got two different groups here, which I insisted we have two different groups,” Fury said at his media workout this week. “Just to make it proper fair. You never know what’s going to go off on either one.”
Fury, 30, had been receiving criticism for not enrolling in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) mandated, random drug-testing program which is administered and supervised by VADA. Fury finally enrolled on October 08, but requested that USADA be included as well.
In order to fight for the sanctioning body’s world title, the WBC requires all its titleholders and challengers to enroll in the testing pool. If a fighter refuses, then he or she cannot fight for the title or an officially [WBC] sanctioned matchup.
Tyson Fury at his media workout in Los Angeles in advance of his heavyweight world title fight against Deontay Wilder on December 01, 2018. Photo: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
Fury, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, United Kingdom, had troubles in the past with failed tests when he tested positive for nandrolone in 2015, and cocaine in 2016. The current lineal heavyweight champion has been vocal about his mental struggles throughout the past few years and has made it a point to bring awareness to the issues he’s encountered.
“The Tyson that beat [Wladimir] Klitschko is dead and gone. He don’t exist anymore. That was years ago,” a 260 pound Fury said. “I don’t live on the past. I only live for today, tomorrow. What happened yesterday is history. I live for today.”
Fury’s request to have two testing agencies for this bout might stem from the recent positive test for middleweight Billy Joe Saunders. The 29-year-old Saunders was flagged for the performance-enhancing stimulant oxilofrine, which was a test conducted by VADA, for his cancelled bout against Demetrius Andrade earlier this month. Oxilifrine is said to treat low blood pressure, but has also been said to increase adrenaline production, boost endurance, focus and alertness just to name a few.
The controversy was that the substance, which Saunders said came from a nasal spray, is permitted to be used ‘Out of Competition’ by United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) — in line with the regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Fury is likely covering all his potential bases in preparation for the biggest fight of his career.
This will be Fury’s (27-0, 19 KOs) third fight of 2018 since coming out of retirement. The 6 foot 9 Fury stated on the Joe Rogan Podcast that his promoter, Frank Warren, wanted to have four to five comeback fights before he stepped into the ring with the world title holders of the division. However, following the previous bout against Francisco Pianeta (35-5-1, 21 KOs), Fury insisted that he wanted a matchup with Wilder and did not want any further tune-ups, as he felt he was ready for the elites.
“Frank [Warren] said, ‘you’ve had a long time out of the ring and you’ve abused your body. Let’s get you four or five comeback fights just to know you’re ready,’ Fury said of his conversation with his promoter just before he returned to the ring this year. “I said okay, no problem. I had the one comeback fight, had the other comeback fight.”
“I said to Frank, ‘I don’t need anymore comeback fights. Make the Wilder fight now.’ I said, ‘I’m telling you, make the Wilder fight.’ So this is what people don’t understand, I picked [Deontay] Wilder. He didn’t pick me. I picked him.”
