By Edward Chaykovsky
WBO/WBA/IBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18KOs) sat down for a very revealing interview with Rolling Stone magazine, where the fighter came clean about his abuse of illegal recreational drug cocaine and discussed his demons.
Fury tested positive for cocaine after giving a urine sample on September 22. The test was administered by the Las Vegas-based Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), as part of the routine agreed by Fury and Wladimir Klitschko before their now-cancelled rematch.
Cocaine, while being an illegal Class A drug, is not banned out of competition.
Fury had been due to fight Klitschko in Manchester on October 29, defending the WBA, IBO and WBO heavyweight belts he took off the Ukrainian last November, but that clash was postponed on September 23. Fury's handlers said the boxer was battling a sever case of depression and dealing with mental issues.
One attempt at a rematch - set for July 9 - had already been shelved because of an ankle injury sustained by Fury.
After the cancellation of the July 9 fight, it emerged that UK-Anti Doping (UKAD) had charged the champion over a urine sample taken in February 2015, and his cousin Hughie with a doping offence. They deny wrongdoing.
It was alleged the sample - taken nine months before Tyson Fury's defeat of Klitschko - contained traces of the banned substance nandrolone. Fury was provisionally suspended, but that ban has since been lifted, and his legal team said they would be suing UKAD over the allegations. His hearing will be held in November.
Fury told Rolling Stone that he's done a lot of cocaine, but only began to abuse the drug in recent months.
"Listen, I've done a lot of things in my life. I've done lots of cocaine. Lots of it. Why shouldn't I take cocaine? It's my life isn't it? I can do what I want. Yeah, I have done cocaine. Plenty of people have done cocaine as well. What the f* has that got to do with anything? That ain't a performance enhancing drug. Am I not allowed to have a life now as well? Do they want to take my personal life off me too? I've not been in a gym for months. I've not been training," Fury said.
"I've been going through depression. I just don't want to live anymore, if you know what I’m saying. I've had total enough of it. They've forced me to the breaking edge. Never mind cocaine. I just didn't care. I don't want to live anymore. So cocaine is a little minor thing compared to not wanting to live anymore. I never took other drugs, ever, in me life. I only started to take cocaine in the last few months."
"It is crazy that's what's going on but listen, I don't really care. They've won. They've got what they wanted. That's it. I'm as fat as pig. I'm 285 pounds, 290 pounds. It is what it is. I've been out. I've been an emotional wreck. I've been on a mission. I've been out trying to handle me life."
According to Fury, the drug use was brought on by depression and the abuse that he receives. He feels there is a lot of discrimination thrown in his direction for being a Traveler.
"It's been a witch hunt ever since I won that world title. Ever since I got a bit of fame for doing good there's been a witch hunt on me because of my background, because of who I am and what I do, there's hatred for Travelers and gypsies around the world. Especially in the United Kingdom. Especially with the British Boxing Board of Control and some of the sanctioning bodies of the world titles," Fury said.
"I had to fight one of the best champions in history. No one give me a prayer. I finally prevailed over the guy, beat him, and I get treated like sh*t. Within a week, the IBF, the International Boxing Federation, stole my belt and give it to somebody else, knowing full well that I couldn't defend it in a week because I had a rematch set with Klitschko. That was the first bit of corruption involved with boxing. [The IBF says Fury broke his contract.]
"From then on, it's been nothing more than a witch hunt. From then on, they've tried to get me chucked out of boxing because they cannot tame me, they cannot hire me, I'm not for sale, no one can turn a key in my back, no one can do nothing to stop me. I want to expose them for what they are. The British Boxing Board of Controls is in on it too. They’re all in it together. The drug testing companies are in on it as well. If I tested positive in February 2015 for drugs why let me fight the long reigning champion and leave him of all his belts in November? Why not strip me in February? [The U.K. Anti-Doping Agency says they cannot comment on a current case.]"
