Tyson Fury to discover anti-doping hearing fate next week in latest steps towards boxing return

Fury's case is due to resume on Monday and his future will be much clearer by the end of the week

Tyson Fury's UK Anti-Doping hearing will resume on Monday after being adjourned in the summer (Getty)

Tyson Fury’s UK Anti-Doping [Ukad] hearing will resume on Monday in what could be the latest step in his return to the ring, with a decision on his future set to come by the end of next week.

The former heavyweight world champion saw his summer hearing into an alleged failed drugs test in February 2015 adjourned after one of the panel members had a conflict of interest. It was claimed that both Fury and his cousin, Hughie, returned positive urine tests for the banned steroid nandrolone.

Both have denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs, and Tyson Fury went on to face and beat Wladimir Klitschko in November that year to win the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, along with the Lineal and Ring belts. However, his career has unravelled ever since, and after being stripped of his belt by the IBF, Fury vacated the rest of the championships and descended into a serious depression and tested positive for cocaine.

Fury refused to give a random drugs test at his home last September, which could result in a four-year ban from the sport. However, while his licence remains suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control, Ukad are concerned that Fury could clear his name and take legal action to seek repayment of lost earnings in damages, which could cost them millions.

The hearing is due to resume on Monday and could last as many of five days, after which we will have a much clearer of the time frame of Fury’s return as he targets a comeback in order to challenge the current IBF and WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua as well as Tony Bellew, who could be Fury’s next opponent if he comes through his rescheduled rematch against David Haye on 5 May.

In order to return to the ring, Fury must regain his licence – which he hopes to do so with the BBBoC despite claiming he would not return to them and announced his retirement twice in the process – but he must also lose around six stone to get back to his fighting weight.

The Manchester-born boxer, who dubs himself the “Gypsy King”, has been posting numerous videos on social media from his training sessions and appears to be losing weight from what can be seen in the short clips. However, with Bellew set to face Haye, Joshua still in talks with WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder also in the title picture, the options for Fury do appear somewhat limited, and next week’s events will make 2018 much clearer as the heavyweight picture continues to develop.