Tyson Fury’s build-up to his December megafight with Anthony Joshua hit a fresh snag this week, this time over drug testing rather than money or billing. Fury had failed to enrol in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association’s testing pool, a contractual requirement that threatened to derail Wednesday’s launch press conference in London before it had even begun. By Monday evening, though, the Gypsy King had signed up, and the fight’s promotion is back on track for a press conference that both men are now expected to attend.
A Contract Clause Catches Fury Out
The dispute centred on a wrinkle in the two fighters’ contracts. Joshua’s deal required both men to enter VADA’s testing pool as soon as the fight was signed, while Fury’s contained no such immediate obligation. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, explained the mismatch bluntly: “The drug testing protocol is the same as what has always been in the contract. It wasn’t adhered to in its form. I don’t think he was obligated to enroll. But in our contract he was obligated to enroll.” Fury signed his side of the deal back in April, shortly after beating Arslanbek Makhmudov, but showed no urgency to complete the VADA paperwork as the weeks ticked by.
Joshua Grows Restless
With the whereabouts form still unsubmitted by Monday lunchtime, Joshua’s patience wore thin. He reshared an email from VADA’s president, sent to both camps, that simply asked whether Fury intended to enrol and noted that a completed whereabouts form was needed before testing could begin for either fighter. There was no suggestion of a missed test or a doping violation, only an administrative hold-up, but Joshua was reportedly ready to boycott Wednesday’s press conference and delay the start of his Dubai training camp until Fury’s paperwork was in order.
Fury Signs Up as Netflix Applies Pressure
The impasse broke on Monday evening. Fury submitted his whereabouts form and formally joined the testing pool, clearing the way for both fighters to travel to London this week. A statement from Fury’s promotional team, Goldstar Promotions, framed the delay as a matter of sequencing rather than reluctance: “Once the fight has been officially finalised, VADA will be the first people we will be calling.” Netflix, which is streaming the December 11 fight live from Cardiff, had reportedly applied its own deadline pressure behind the scenes to keep the promotional calendar intact.
Press Conference Back On, But the Wider Row Rumbles On
Wednesday’s launch event is still pencilled in for 6pm at the newly opened British Airways ARC in Olympia, with both fighters due to appear alongside a photoshoot. It marks the first time Fury and Joshua will share a stage since the fight was confirmed, and comes after a fortnight in which barely a day has passed without a fresh flashpoint, from the row over who gets top billing on the poster to Dana White’s public sniping at Hearn over his role in the promotion. That dispute, over how much say White and TKO actually have in a fight being sold as a joint Matchroom, Queensberry and Ring Magazine production, remains unresolved even with the VADA issue cleared up. Hearn himself has been careful not to overstate the peace, saying as recently as last week that nothing about the press conference was “confirmed” from his side.
What’s Next
Assuming Wednesday goes ahead as planned, attention will turn back to the fight itself. Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) and Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) are set to meet at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11 December, live on Netflix, in a fight that has already generated more headlines about lawyers, promoters and paperwork than punches. For now, at least, the testing dispute that threatened to overshadow launch week has been put to bed, even if the fighters themselves have barely spoken.
