TYSON FURY VACATES WBO AND WBA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLES
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 13 Oct 2016
Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has announced he is voluntarily vacating his WBO and WBA world heavyweight titles with immediate effect to fully focus on his medical treatment and recovery.
Fury recently withdrew from a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko for the second time after being declared "medically unfit".
Sky Sports in Britain reported "the undefeated boxer reportedly failed a drugs test in the United States and he courted more controversy recently when he told Rolling Stone magazine in a recent interview he has "done lots of cocaine" in a bid to battle depression."
The British Boxing Board of Control were set to discuss removing Fury's license on Wednesday, which would have seen him stripped of the belts, but the boxer has beaten them to the punch by vacating them voluntarily.
Fury claimed a unanimous decision over Klitschko to end his 11-year reign as heavyweight champion.
Sky Sports quoted Fury who said "I feel that it is only fair and right and for the good of boxing to keep the titles active and allow the other contenders to fight for the vacant belts that I proudly won and held as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world when I defeated the long-standing champion Wladimir Klitschko."
He said "I won the titles in the ring and I believe that they should be lost in the ring, but I'm unable to defend at this time and I have taken the hard and emotional decision to now officially vacate my treasured world titles and wish the next in-line contenders all the very best as I now enter another big challenge in my life which I know, like against Klitschko, I will conquer."
The 28-year-old's promoter, Mick Hennessy, added: "Tyson will still be the lineal world heavyweight champion in everyone's eyes. He beat the most dominant champion in the modern era of boxing on an amazing night in Germany to earn that accolade and that will never change.
"Whilst it's heartbreaking to see Tyson vacate the world titles that he worked so long and hard for all his life, what's paramount now is that he receives the medical treatment along with the love of his family and friends and the support of the boxing world to make a full recovery."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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