By Tim Royner: Tyson Fury is up against a deadline this week in needing to sign up for the WBC Clean Boxing Program if he wants to fight for Deontay Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title on December 1 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
If Fury decides he doesn’t want to sign up for the drug testing by the WBC, it would look very, very odd on his part, as he’s tested positive for banned drugs in the past. Wilder-Fury would still go ahead if Fury doesn’t sign up for the WBC drug testing program, but he wouldn’t have a chance to fight for Wilder’s WBC belt.
Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) hasn’t said whether his major goal is to win Wilder’s WBC title or simply beating him for bragging rights. The WBC still hasn’t sanctioned the Wilder vs. Fury fight yet due to the Gypsy King not having signed with the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program. It probably won’t bother Wilder if Fury signs up for drug testing or not, because he figures that he’s not going to beat him anyway. Wilder wants to beat Fury to add his name to his win column in beating the lineal champion.
If Fury doesn’t sign up for the drug testing within the next week, he won’t have the chance to win the WBC heavyweight title from Wilder. Fury can beat Wilder and he still wouldn’t get the title.
”I would say this week. I’m going to reach out to him, because there has to be testing for the fight, out of competition,” Sulaiman said to skysports.com. ”If he does not enrol in the clean boxing program, the fight is not for the WBC title. He cannot win the title.”
Signing up for the WBC’s drug testing program would result in Fury being tested for drugs while he’s in training camp, which is out of competition testing.
Fury is going to take a lot of heat from boxing fans if he doesn’t sign up for the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program. The hardcore fans will come down hard on Fury, but not the casual fans, who won’t have any idea of him not signing up for the drug testing. A lot of fans don’t care about stuff that goes on behind the scenes. They just want to see Wilder and Fury fight each other on December 1.
Fury is making his third fight since coming back from a long layoff from the sport. He’s had two fights since returning to the ring against Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta. Fury’s conditioning hasn’t looked to the level that he’s going to need to for him to defeat Wilder.