Tyson Fury Takes First VADA Drug Test Ahead of Joshua Fight
Fury underwent his first VADA test in London on Wednesday morning, roughly 10 weeks before the December 11 fight.
Tyson Fury underwent his first VADA drug test on Wednesday morning in London, per reporter Charlie Parsons, putting to rest one of the lingering controversies around his December 11 fight with Anthony Joshua.
Parsons reported that Fury had previously enrolled with VADA before Wednesday's test, though the exact enrollment date was not disclosed. "Tyson had previously enrolled, but had his first testing today," Parsons wrote. With roughly 72 days until fight night, Fury now has just over 10 weeks of testing ahead of him.
The VADA issue had become a sticking point in the lead-up to the fight's official announcement. Joshua's team reportedly threatened to boycott Tuesday's launch press conference unless Fury registered with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, using the testing requirement as leverage during the final stretch of negotiations. The move added late tension to a deal that had already taken months to close.
VADA operates independently from the World Anti-Doping Agency and provides year-round, random testing for combat sports athletes who voluntarily enroll. The program has become a standard expectation for major boxing events, particularly at the heavyweight level where the stakes, both physical and financial, are at their highest.
Joshua's own VADA enrollment timeline was not addressed in the report, though his camp's insistence on Fury's testing suggests they are already in compliance. The contractual deadlines around enrollment remain unclear, making it difficult to assess whether any technical breach occurred during the negotiation period.
With both fighters now expected to be under the VADA umbrella, attention can shift to the actual preparation for what is being billed as one of the biggest heavyweight fights in recent memory.
I am glad this is settled because the VADA drama was getting exhausting. Every big fight goes through this now. One side demands testing, the other drags their feet, everybody postures, and then they all sign up anyway. It is theater, and it distracts from the actual fight.
That said, I get why Joshua's team pushed hard on this. You are about to step in the ring with a 270-pound man. You want to know he is clean. And threatening to boycott the presser was a smart power play because it forced Fury's hand right when the promotional machine needed both guys on stage.
Ten weeks of testing is not ideal. Most people in boxing want a minimum of eight to twelve weeks, and starting at the absolute edge of that window is cutting it close. But it is better than nothing, and at this point I just want to watch these two fight without any asterisks.
