TYSON Fury’s immigration problems in the US are costing him millions – from wrestling and not boxing.
The world heavyweight champion’s WWE return is hanging by the balance amid problems at the border.
WWE executives had been plotting for Fury to make an appearance at the Royal Rumble at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas in January.
And they had an eye on a match at Wrestlemania 39 in Los Angeles in April.
Fury, 34, won his WWE debut in October 2019, beating Braun Strowman, and made a surprise cameo at the Clash of the Castle in Wales in August.
Now those hopes are looking slim and complicated, The U.S. Sun has learned.
Fury, 34, is banned from entering the US after links to alleged Irish mob boss Daniel Kinahan emerged.
The boxer’s team is responsible for ensuring he fulfills the credentials needed to work in the USA, while WWE’s lawyers have expertise in dealing with foreign athletes.
Recently, Fury’s younger brother Tommy confirmed they are still being refused permission to enter the country.
Tommy, who was due to fight Jake Paul in New York City, said it was apparently due to connections to Kinahan.
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Fury was being wooed by show bosses to appear in 2023 shows as full-time CEO and chairwoman Stephanie McMahon and creative director – her husband Paul “Triple H” Levesque are huge fans of the ‘The Gypsy King’.
An insider told The U.S. Sun: “Tyson is well loved at the WWE and him popping up in any match and a run to Wrestlemania would generate huge headlines and fan interest.
“However his immigration status is proving tricky to deal with.
“Tyson and the legal team or getting this whole grey and tricky area resolved. But non-entry, quite simply put, means non-payment.
“And people may not believe this but turning up for a match or being part of the shows, not even fighting, earns him several million dollars.
“So this issue with his working visa in the States is costing him a large amount of cash.
“The WWE works with foreign athletes all the time in aiding their visa processing for appearances.
“The legal team are on the sidelines offering support in this matter, but ultimately getting approval is on Tyson’s head and how US immigration assesses his case.”
The source added: “It is not all bad news for Tyson, because there are other options for WWE through their premium live events outside of the US.
“It’s likely that they will go to Saudi Arabia twice a year for those bigger nights and of course, there are often European battles.
“But having a potential invite to feature in something special at Wrestlemania is a huge deal, and currently those shows are only in the USA.”
In October, Tommy confirmed he and Tyson are banned from entering the United States.
The 2019 Love Island star was unable to fight rival Paul amid a US visa issue in August.
The Sun also revealed in June that Tyson was also denied access to a Stateside flight.
The bans are believed to be in connection to links with alleged Irish mob boss Kinahan, who in April was hit with sanctions.
Kinahan was the co-founder of boxing management company MTK Global – who represented Fury following his 2018 comeback – but the organization cut ties with the 44-year-old Dubai-based Dubliner in 2017 and ceased existence in April, just as Kinahan was hit with sanctions.
Tommy, who along with Tyson has no links to criminality, revealed he is still unable to enter America.
He said on The MMA Hour: “Me and Tyson just can’t get into America at the minute and that’s the way it is.”
The US Treasury imposed sanctions on Kinahan and the US Department of State is also offering rewards of up to $5million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of three members of the criminal family.
A list of over 600 people, all connected to Kinahan, are understood to be banned from entering the US.
It has left Tommy, who was never advised or managed by Kinahan or his former MTK boxing stable, seemingly caught up in it all.
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Directly asked about “the Kinahan situation” by host Ariel Helwani, Tommy, 23, said: “I don’t know (what’s happening), that’s what I pay my lawyers for and my legal team every day, they’re sorting it and I said please get this resolved as soon as possible and that’s where I’ve left it at the moment.
“I’m hoping it gets resolved asap because I want to come to America not just for boxing and of course for the big one to get this fight over the line but if it doesn’t get resolved for a long time I can’t speak on how long this is going to take.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
