By Allan Fox: WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has admitted in an interview with the Rolling Stone of him using cocaine. Fury, 28, says that cocaine isn’t a performance enhancing drug and that he should be able to have a life. Unfortunately for Fury, cocaine is viewed as a banned substance whether it is a performance enhancing drug or not, and he could be stripped of his WBA and WBO titles soon and possibly suspended for a period of time.
Fury says he’s not trained in months, and he’s been dealing with depression. Fury captured the IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight titles last November in beating Wladimir Klitschko by a 12 round unanimous decision in Dusseldorf, Germany. Instead of this being the high point in Fury’s career that would take him to the next level of superstardom, it’s dragged him down into the depths.
Fury gained a lot of weight before signing for a rematch against Wladimir on July 9. The rematch then had to be rescheduled for October 29 after Fury suffered an ankle injury. However, not long after Fury restarted training, he stopped training last May, he says. Besides the cocaine use, Fury says he’s been drinking a lot as well, which isn’t good. Fury is an athlete, and it’s bad news that he’s drinking and talking about using cocaine.
This is pretty earth shattering news that Fury is openly admitting to the cocaine use, but you’ve got to respect him for his honesty. You can argue that few boxers would openly admit to using a banned substance. It’ refreshing that Fury is admitting it in the interview. Of course, if Fury says he wasn’t serious in what he said in the interview, then I don’t know what to think. Fury announced his retirement from boxing this week on his social media site. Three hours later, Fury said he wasn’t retiring, which makes you assume that he was just having a bit of fun in getting the media and fans stirred up. Is Fury doing the same thing with his cocaine comments?
“ I’ve done lots of cocaine. Lots of it,” Fury said in the interview with the Rolling Stone. “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. I’ve been going through depression. I just don’t want to live anymore… 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.”
Fury says he’s weighing between 285lbs and 290lbs, and says he’s “fat as a pig.” That’s not that heavy. Fury is only 40 pounds over his fighting weight. He could probably carve that weight off in four to five months of hard work if he wanted to. Fury would need to be motivated though. If he started skipping days, then that obviously wouldn’t work for him in getting the weight off to get ready for whatever fight he plans on taking when/if he does resume his boxing career.
Fury tested positive for cocaine during the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association’s September 22 drug test for his rematch against Wladimir. Fury pulled out of the fight on the next day on September 23.
Fury said that one of the reasons why he pulled out of the July 9 rematch with Klitschko was because of problems in his life.
“To be honest, yes,” he said. “I’ve not been in the gym for months. I’ve been AWOL. I’ve been out drinking, anything to get me mind off what’s been going on to me.”
It sounds like Fury needs to get help badly. With him battling depression, he needs to get his life together before he can even think of getting back into boxing.
It’s perhaps academic at this point that Fury will soon be struggled of his WBA and WBO heavyweight titles due to his alleged positive drug test for cocaine. It’s been 11 months since he last fought, and the WBA and WBO are not going to let their titles sit idle without being fought for. Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) is still unbeaten as a boxer, but he’s not going to be able to fight anytime soon from what it sounds like.
The good news is that Fury is at least letting people know that he needs help and that’s getting his problems worked on. That’s a step in the right direction, because if he were to stay silent and continue to do what he says he’s done, then he would be hurting himself and his future in boxing. Fury losing his titles is nothing. His main objective is to get his life back together. Once he does that, then he can focus on winning back his word titles.
Fury still has the option of having his ‘B’ sample tested for cocaine by VADA. It’s unclear whether he’ll bother to do that now or if it would mean anything in light of his confession in the interview with the Rolling Stone magazine.
Fury is young enough to get cleaned up and back inside the ring at some point if he so desires. If he wants it bad enough, Fury should be able to resume his career if he can get clean and motivated for the sport. We just don’t know yet if he can do that. Even if Fury does clean up, he’s got to want to fight. If he’s still battling depression, then it’s not going to work out for him, because he might choose to pull out of training or he could just go through the motions in camp. That wouldn’t be good for Fury or his team.
“They say I’ve got a version of bipolar. I’m a manic depressive. I just hope someone kills me before I kill myself,” said Fury.