Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has dismissed claims from a farmer that he was told to lie to help the now-WBC heavyweight champion win an anti-doping case.
Fury and his cousin Hughie, also a boxer, both tested positive for a banned substance back in February 2015. During the appeal process, Fury blamed the failed test on the fact he and his cousin had both eaten uncastrated wild boar.
Now the farmer who testified to support Fury’s claims has stated that he was offered £25,000 to tell anti-doping investigators that he had sold the meat to Fury’s team.
Martin Carefoot had given evidence to UK Anti-Doping stating he had provided Fury with the wild boar, as the boxer’s team had claimed.
But in an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper in the UK, Carefoot now says that evidence was false, as he revealed his story about being offered money, which he claims he never received.
His claims have been slammed by Fury’s promoter Warren, who did not represent the boxer at the time.
“The farmer making these outrageous allegations sent me a letter last October, full of errors and basically telling me he had committed perjury by signing statements under oath and lying,” he said.
“When I called him, he asked for money. I told him to clear off and get in contact with UKAD. He chose not to speak to UKAD, but instead speak to a newspaper.
“How anybody can take this man seriously is beyond belief. Tyson has never met this man in his life. What a load of rubbish. We’ll leave this with UKAD to look into and don’t expect it to go any further.
“It looks like while the football season has been paused, there’s nothing to write about and silly season has instead commenced.”
UKAD has so far declined to comment on the story, but if Fury is found to have been involved with falsifying evidence during the initial investigation, he could face a suspension of up to eight years.
The new claims from Carefoot will not affect Fury’s standing as the WBC heavyweight champion, according to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Sun, Sulaiman said: “Personally, I prefer to believe Tyson Fury ahead of someone who has already admitted to lying in legal documents for financial gain.”
