Anthony Joshua is baffled why Tyson Fury waited until the eleventh hour to enrol in Vada (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) drug testing but does not believe he was “on a cycle”.
Fury, 38, finally joined the testing pool on Monday afternoon forward of the rivals’ long-mooted British super-fight after Joshua utilized stress on ‘The Gypsy King’ to signal up.
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Fury has a historical past with doping having acquired a backdated two-year suspension in 2017 after testing constructive for elevated ranges of the banned nandrolone metabolite.
But forward of their bout, Joshua does not have any considerations that Fury has been on performance-enhancing medication.
Anthony Joshua (proper) and Tyson Fury pose during the press convention (Reuters)
“I don’t think he was on a cycle. It definitely isn’t working if he was,” he said. “I don’t think he was on a cycle but I just don’t know what took him so long to sign up.
“From my expertise, I have fought guys that have been discovered to be on performing enhancing medication after. When I fought [Robert] Helenius, he was jabbing my head off and I thought ‘what the f*** is in this man’s gloves’ he was robust. Then he was on performing enhancing medication. The only cause I fought Helenius was Dillian Whyte had failed a check.
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“I always invested in anti-doping regulations because, from the Olympics, they have been testing me and, for me, it is part of the system and I wanted to continue that once I turned pro. To get a certain level of testing done you have to invest and we have always done that.
“I do not know what took him so long but we got it achieved.”
Joshua adds that he does not judge Fury, a two-time former world heavyweight champion, for his past offences.
Asked if his doping ban should put an asterisk next to his career, Joshua replied:” I am not one to choose. It is not for me to choose, I do not think it is the proper factor to do, to choose him.
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“It’s neither here-nor-there, water off a duck’s back. I just want to make sure, when I am in the ring with him, that he is clean, that was a big sticking point.
“I don’t desire to choose him because it is not my place to.”
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