Tyson Fury Releases Statement on Doping Allegations

Boxer Tyson Fury denied he was the subject of a doping investigation in a statement released by his promoter Hennessy Sports on Sunday, after Matthew Drake of the Mirror reported that Fury was being investigated by the UK Anti-Doping organization. 

"We are baffled by today's story in the Sunday Mirror," the statement read, according to PA Sport (via ESPN.com). "Fury absolutely denies any allegation of doping. He looks forward to recovering from his injury and defending his titles against Wladimir Klitschko in October."

Drake reported, "Experts are understood to have found unacceptable levels of nandrolone in a sample taken before he won the world title from Wladimir Klitschko. Positive effects of the drug, naturally occurring in the body, include muscle growth."

The samples were reportedly taken between February and March of 2015. Fury and his cousin, Hughie Fury, 21, will reportedly be brought in front of an independent panel to explain why traces of steroids were allegedly found in their blood, per Drake. The British Boxing Board of Control will await those findings before taking any actions, according to that report.

Sophie Ashcroft, the spokesperson for the UK Anti-Doping organization, said the following on the matter, per PA Sport:

"

UK Anti-Doping does not discuss or disclose details of any cases until due legal process has been completed or a respondent chooses to put the information into the public domain. This is to protect the rights and privacy of all involved and to ensure that a case is not subjected to unnecessary prejudice. It is important to note that an anti-doping rule violation is only deemed to have been committed once the legal process, including any appeals, has been completed. At that point, details of a violation will be made available on the UKAD website.

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Fury, 27, is the current heavyweight champion, a distinction he earned after defeating Klitschko in November 2015. The pair were set for a rematch on July 9, but Fury postponed the bout after injuring his ankle in training. 

Fury is a perfect 25-0 in his boxing career and ended Klitschko's long reign atop the heavyweight division, but he's become a controversial figure out of the ring for his long history of homophobic, sexist and anti-Semitic comments, per PA Sport.

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