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Tyson Fury’s promoter rejects claim boxer paid farmer to provide false alibi over failed drugs test

The Briton returned a positive test for banned steroid nandrolone in February 2015, but blamed it on contaminated meat

Jack Rathborn
Sunday 15 March 2020 12:25 GMT
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Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has labelled claims that a Lancashire farmer was offered £25,000 to help the world heavyweight champion swerve a drugs ban as “bulls***”.

Fury and his cousin Hughie, a former heavyweight world title challenger, tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in February 2015, with the blame attributed to consuming wild boar or contaminated supplements.

However, Preston farmer Martin Carefoot has alleged in the Mail on Sunday that he was offered £25,000 by a member of Fury’s team to provide a false statement that he supplied the meat in question.

But Warren, who did not represent Fury at the time, insists the claims are “bulls***”.

“This man wrote me a letter last October, full of errors, asking for money,” Warren told The Sun.

Fury celebrates his victory over Wilder

“I told him to clear off and take it up with UK anti-doping, instead he has clearly sold his story to a newspaper instead.

“Tyson has never ever met this man and his story is total bulls***.”

Carefoot insists: “I have never kept wild boar. I just went along with it, and they dangled this carrot I was going to get paid.”

While WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman also sided with Fury when responding to The Sun: “Personally, I prefer to believe Tyson Fury ahead of someone who has already admitted to lying in legal documents for financial gain.

“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.”

Fury became a two-time world champion last month when he dethroned Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas in their explosive rematch.

The Briton claimed the WBC crown by knocking the American down twice before a seventh-round stoppage.

With all four legitimate heavyweight world titles in the UK, an undisputed fight against compatriot Anthony Joshua is on the cards for this year.

However, Wilder has already exercised his contractual right to a third fight with Fury, set for 18 July back in Las Vegas.

It remains unclear whether the coronavirus pandemic could impact the trilogy though, with the Nevada State Athletic Commission forced to suspend all combat sporting events indefinitely.

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