Great Britain board strips Tyson Fury of licence

British boxer Tyson Fury

London: Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury's licence to box has been suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC), the national governing body announced yesterday.

The decision came after the troubled British boxer, who has admitted taking cocaine, vacated his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles with "immediate effect" to concentrate on his "medical treatment and recovery" on Wednesday.

The BBBofC said Fury's licence to box had been suspended pending further investigation into "anti-doping and medical issues".

Fury, 28, was set to be stripped of his titles after cancelling two planned rematches this year against former champion Wladimir Klitschko, having upset the odds to beat the Ukrainian last year. That was Fury's last fight, with the boxer also taking Klitschko's International Boxing Federation (IBF) title. However, he had to previously vacate that belt after failing to fulfil a mandatory defence against Vyacheslav Glazkov.