Tyson Fury may lose boxing licence

World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury could lose his licence after he revealed he was taking cocaine.The British fighter, 28, who claimed he had retired on Monday before retracting the comment three hours later, has also said he is suffering from depression.British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) general secretary Robert Smith said cocaine use is “against the law”.

The governing body, which meets on 12 October, stripped Ricky Hatton of his licence after drug use allegations.The British boxer lost his licence in 2010 and the former two-weight world champion has reportedly texted Fury “asking him to give me a ring if he needs me”.

The BBBofC meeting has not been called exclusively for Fury’s case, but Smith said the body “can’t ignore the law of the land”, adding: “It’s drug use and we will deal with it accordingly.”

BBC Sport has contacted the WBO and WBA – the two organisations with which Fury holds heavyweight titles – but is yet to receive a response.The WBO and WBA are not governing bodies and can strip Fury of the title, declare the titles vacant, or he can vacate them.

Smith said: “We deal with the licence, so in theory, if we were to suspend him they would have no choice but to strip him because he can’t defend them, can he?

“You can’t just take a man’s licence away, without taking the Fury – undefeated in 25 professional fights – has not fought since November 2015 when he inflicted a first defeat on Wladimir Klitschko in more than 11 years, winning the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts.