THE PIG farmer who claimed he was offered £25k to lie about Tyson Fury’s failed drugs test has dropped his allegations.
The 70-year-old Martin Carefoot, from Lancashire, is no longer helping the investigation into the Gypsy King’s positive test for anabolic steroid nandrolone in February 2015.
Martin Carefoot, the pig farmer who claimed he was offered £25k to lie about Tyson Fury’s failed drugs test, has withdrawn his allegationsCredit: Matthew Pover Limited.
The WBC heavyweight champion and cousin, fellow boxer Hughie Fury, both tested positive for nandrolone after a urine test.
Fury was then accused of refusing to provide another sample for further testing in September 2016.
Both fighters denied doping and have always maintained that the banned substance was due to contaminated fitness supplements or because they had eaten uncastrated wild boar regularly.
Wild boar meat and offal includes entrails and internal organs and is believed to bring a rise in natural levels of nandrolone in the body.
That theory was backed up by Carefoot, who confirmed he supplied the Fury’s with the meat initially.
Tyson Fury and cousin Hughie Fury both tested positive for nandrolone after a urine testCredit: Reuters
But back in March he alleged he had been bribed to provide a false statement to clear the duo when the investigation was restarted.
He said: “I feel fed up with the lies and deceit. The public needs to know the truth.
“I’m happy the public know what all this is about. I feel cheated and used.”
Now he has performed a shock U-turn by withdrawing those claims.
Carefoot told the Times: “I’ve had nothing but problems right from the beginning of this, and I don’t want to get involved.”
He originally provided written statements stating he supplied wild boar to the Fury’s at their Bolton gym.
And he said he had been approached by a member of the champ’s team who “was looking to purchase large amounts of high quality, fresh meat on a regular basis for Tyson Fury and Hughie Fury – two professional boxers who had very specific diets with high-protein requirements”.
In his statement, he said: “I supplied one fully butchered wild boar pig to Team Fury generally every three to six weeks.
“Although some customers would only want specific cuts, Team Fury were keen to utilise the whole animal, including liver, kidney and other offal.
“Once the animal was slaughtered/butchered, I would place the meat in plastic trays – which were clearly labelled.”
But four months ago he then alleged his statements were fabricated, and he had never kept or killed a board or delivered to the Fury camp – saying he was paying back “a few favours” with his initial letter.
But he ran into difficulties when asked to produce photo evidence of keeping wild and uncastrated boar.
Carefoot confessed the photos he did originally send in were not from his farm, but at from the Bowland Wild Boar Park in Chipping.
And he said he had never received a £25k fee from Team Fury.
He said: “I have never kept wild boar. I have never killed a wild boar.
“The closest I’ve ever got to a wild boar is when we once got some for a customer in the shop, and I actually chopped it up, and that’s the closest I’ve ever come.”
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When explaining the reason behind his false testimony, he claimed: “I was in too deep. They were dangling this carrot.
“I thought, ‘You’re going to get 25 grand for this.’ I thought, ‘It’s not a hanging matter.’ And so I went along with it.”
Both Tyson and Hughie Fury eventually accepted a two-year ban that was backdated – which many felt was only a minor penalty.
But then came Carefoot’s claims but he has now withdrawn them.
Police were told by UKAD about the farmer’s bribe allegations.
A statement from them said: “UK Anti-Doping has alerted Lancashire police to this matter and is working closely with them.
“Due to the continuing nature of the matter we cannot make any further comment at this time.”
Lancashire cops still have the investigation open but have not commented on whether Carefoot remains a witness in it.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
