Frank Warren, who along with Top Rank promotes the career of WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, has provided some detailed background information on Martin Carefoot, the farmer who is making some sensational claims regarding Fury’s legal battle with UKAD [UK Anti-Doping].
As previously reported, The Daily Mail first broke a story where Carefoot claims to have submitted false witness statements, in exchange for a promised sum of £25,000, with respect to Fury’s legal battle with UK drug testing organization UKAD.
In early 2015, Fury failed a UKAD issued drug test. It was widely reported that Fury’s test result was directly connected to the consumption of wild boar meat.
Carefoot claims to have signed two witness statements where he falsely claimed to have provided the boar meat in question. Carefoot now states that he never kept wild boar or boar meat in general, and only claimed that information after a Fury team member allegedly approached him with the promise of money.
Warren was personally approached by Carefoot last year. The farmer was looking for money – complaining that he never received the money he was promised several years ago.
Warren was not involved with Fury’s career when the UKAD legal battle was being waged.
Carefoot has yet to disclose the name of the individual who allegedly approached him from Fury’s team.
Fury would eventually settle his case with UKAD. He took a backdated two-year ban as part of the agreement.
“I got a letter last September from this farmer making all these allegations about Tyson’s UKAD case. In the letter he said he’d lied and signed statements under oath, which is perjury. I wasn’t involved with Tyson back at the time of this case, but I asked Tyson about it – he said he’d never heard of him, never knew him, and that was it,” Warren told TalkSport.
“The farmer said he was promised money, £25,000. So he was prepared to lie, according to this letter, for £25,000. We spoke and told him to go and see UKAD if he’s got a problem. Obviously he chose not to do that and has gone to a newspaper instead. They rang us on a Friday night with their story, which they must’ve had for a while, doing their best to prevent anybody from stopping it going out.
“Given the fact that there was no sport on, they made a big thing of it and gave it a big splash. But they’re relying on the word of an admitted liar and perjurer, whatever way you want to look at it. From my perspective it’s ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous. Remember, this is five years ago he’s referring to. It’s taken five years for his conscience to kick in, if he’s telling the truth now.”
Warren does confirm that Carefoot signed a witness statement, which Fury’s attorney used for their defense in the legal battle with UKAD.
There are two big questions in the matter, says Warren. The veteran promoter wants Carefoot to reveal the name of the individual who allegedly approached him. And he also wonders if Carefoot was lying back then or is he lying right now.
“We do know for a fact that the farmer did sign an affidavit on the matter. He did do that,” Warren said.
“But the other side of it that you’ve got to look at, he keeps referring to ‘Team Fury’. Who? Tyson at the time of a big fight can have up to 20 people around him in his team. He certainly never dealt with Tyson, otherwise he’d have said, ‘I dealt with Tyson Fury and this is what happened. Tyson says he’s never met him and he’s never had any dealings with him. So who from ‘Team Fury’ approached him, if indeed they did? And who from ‘Team Fury’ offered him £25,000? Why don’t you just name them?
“All he keeps referring to is ‘Team Fury’, I don’t know who ‘Team Fury’ is. Who are they? Who is it? You must know who it is? He either supplied the meat or he didn’t. If he didn’t supply the meat he must’ve had a discussion with a specific person to concoct a lie for money. So who was it? Tyson’s not bothered about it at all. He just thinks it’s a load of rubbish and it’s a lie. That’s it, that’s where he’s at. There have been reports suggesting UKAD are investigating the situation once again, but I have no knowledge of that whatsoever. What can they open up? There’s nothing to open up. If this guy lied then they need to take action against him because perjury is a criminal offence.”
–boxingscene.com
