Tyson Fury was drug tested this morning ahead of his face-off with Anthony Joshua, removing one of the last remaining hurdles to their British super-fight.
Fury and Joshua will face the media this evening for the first time since their fight was officially announced for December 11 in Cardiff. They will then face off officially for the first time in their decade-long rivalry. Despite last week's announcement, there were fears today's event would not take place.
Testing dispute resolved
Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn were adamant Fury should have been drug-tested by VADA seamlessly since his win over Arslanbek Makhmudov. Fury's team believed he only had to start when his fight with British rival Joshua was announced.
Fury enrolled in testing in time for both men to make their way to London from their training camps, and Mirror Fighting understands Fury was woken in his hotel this morning to be tested.
Dana White absent
This evening's press conference will also go ahead without UFC chief Dana White, whose involvement in the fight had caused problems with Hearn and Joshua. White is the frontman for his Zuffa Boxing promotion, and Saudi ringmaster Turki Alalshikh wants him to promote the fight.
Joshua's contract forbids his involvement, and he will at least be absent today. "I would have been there if I didn't have The Contender series," White said. Asked why there is confusion over his involvement, White said: "There's no confusion whatsoever. If you look at everything from the network to the guy who's actually f***ing paying for it, and to me saying what I've said. I mean, I've been saying it now, feels like for f***ing years, but it's probably been weeks, but I've been saying the same thing."
"Everything that I've been saying is the truth, and why would I say it and double down, and triple down, and f***ing quadruple down if it wasn't the case? This isn't a hesitation; this is an ego thing; a total ego thing. Boxing has taken a hit in the United States. It's not as big as it was here 20 years ago. It has become a very British sport, and all the s*** you're hearing, and the crying, and the bitching is all coming from the UK."
