Tyson Fury reportedly underwent his first VADA drug test for the Anthony Joshua fight on Wednesday morning in London, moving the testing issue beyond registration after it threatened to disrupt the promotion.
Joshua’s team now has word that Fury’s testing has begun. The question is why a routine requirement took this long to sort out and became another public dispute before the fight.
“Understand that Tyson Fury was woken up early this morning in London for VADA testing and now has officially enrolled,” Charlie Parsons wrote on X. He subsequently corrected the enrollment detail: “Sorry – Tyson had previously enrolled, but had his first testing today.”
Parsons clarified that Fury had already enrolled before Wednesday’s test. His update does not give an enrollment date or report the test result.
Joshua had reportedly been prepared to boycott the launch press conference unless Fury registered with VADA. That makes the testing update relevant to the buildup, although registration had already addressed the immediate condition described in those reports.
Joshua’s reported boycott threat gave his demand some leverage. The organizers wanted both heavyweights on stage to launch the promotion, and Joshua was prepared to withhold his participation unless Fury registered with VADA. Testing became something that had to be addressed before the publicity could move forward.
Wednesday’s reported first test leaves 72 days before the December 11 fight, or ten weeks and two days. That makes it difficult to describe the remaining window as drastically shortened. The more useful question is when both fighters became available for testing and whether their enrollment dates matched the agreement.
Fury being woken early is a colorful detail, but undergoing an unannounced test deserves no special credit. The focus belongs on the testing arrangements and their timing.
Parsons’s correction establishes that Fury had enrolled before Wednesday. It does not tell readers exactly when. Until the enrollment date and contractual deadline are established, claiming a breach goes beyond the evidence. Those dates would answer more than another round of assurances that everything is sorted.