UKAD punts Tyson Fury hearing to October

Although Tyson Fury announced his intentions to return to boxing this year, a decision from the U.K. Anti-Doping Agency has mostly laid to rest any idea of an imminent showdown with Anthony Joshua.

While Fury has been training alongside Billy Joe Saunders, attempting to get back in fighting shape, he’s just been informed that UKAD will postpone his hearing until October.

That spells bad news for Fury as the British Boxing Board of Control has announced they they will not consider re-licensing Fury to fight until there’s been a ruling by the UKAD on Fury’s doping allegations.

"The BBBoC is awaiting the outcome of the UKAD hearing and at present his boxing licence is suspended until such time, after which the BBBoC will consider Mr Fury's position further," A BBBofC statement read, according to PA Sport.

That being the case, it’s highly improbable that we see Fury fight this year - and he may not even get his shot at Joshua until 2019 at the earliest as Joshua is mostly expected to have a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko late this year before having to likely face Kurbat Pulev as his IBF mandatory challenger (or Luis Ortiz as his WBA mandatory). And, of course, a huge showdown between WBC titlist Deontay Wilder and Joshua has been much talked about.

But I suppose it’s not all bad news, though. If Fury is serious about continuing with his boxing career it looks like he could use all that time to get himself back together -- both physically and mentally.