By Jake Donovan

The first half of 2016 cannot end soon enough for Tyson Fury.

Bad news and press continue to rain down on the unbeaten World heavyweight champion, the latest calling into question the manner in which he achieved such status. A recent story in the UK Mirror has alleged that Fury and his cousin Hughie Fury have both tested positive for the banned substance nadrolone - known in boxing circles as the "kiss of death" given how long it lasts in your system.

The claim suggests that "unacceptable levels" of the banned substance were discovered in test results prior to the elder Fury's championship lifting effort over Wladimir Klitschko last November. The same story also implicates Hughie, a rising heavyweight contender, of producing similar results.

While it's not uncommon for such test results overseas to come back well after the fact, it's an outcome to which Fury and his team vehemently deny. 

"We are baffled by today's story in the Sunday Mirror," said a spokesman for Hennessy Sport on behalf of Team Fury. "Tyson Fury absolutely denies any allegation of doping. He looks forward to recovering from his injury and defending his titles against Wladimir Klitschko in October."

The news comes on the heels of Fury withdrawing from his scheduled July 9 rematch with Klitschko, citing an ankle injury suffered in mid-June. 

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Follow his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2