Pig farmer DROPS allegations he was bribed $31,500 to LIE over Tyson Fury's failed 2015 drug test

The pig farmer whose sensational claims threatened to derail Tyson Fury's boxing career has dropped his allegations against the world heavyweight champion boxer following a lengthy row over the boxer's failed 2015 drug test.

Fury and his boxer cousin Hughie both tested positive for nandralone in February 2015 and in their defense stated that they had unwittingly ingested the banned substance as a result of taking contaminated supplements and eating uncastrated wild boar.

However, those claims were shot down by Lancashire pig farmer Martin Carefoot, who later stated that he had been paid £25,000 ($31,500) by Fury to lie to anti-doping officials to corroborate Fury's case.

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Carefoot's revelation caused officials to reopen the case, with the farmer stating at the time, "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."

But now it has emerged that Carefoot has made an about-turn and dropped his allegations.

"I've had nothing but problems right from the beginning of this," he told The Times.

"I don't want to get involved."

Originally, Carefoot had provided a statement to anti-doping officials claiming that Fury and his cousin had ordered the meat directly from him after being approached by a member of their team.

Carefoot said the team member informed him that they were, "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."

The meat was to be sent to the Fury's gym in Bolton.

"I supplied one fully butchered wild boar pig to Team Fury generally every three to six weeks," stated Carefoot in his original statement.

"Although some customers would only want specific cuts, Team Fury were keen to utilize 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 labeled."

Carefoot was subsequently asked to provide photographs of the wild boar on his farm, as well as images of uncastrated boars. He later admitted that the photos he sent were not from his farm, but from a nearby wild boar park.

As a result, Carefoot changed his story, claiming that his statements were false, and that not only did he not supply the meat, but also that he never kept or killed wild boar on his farm.

"I have never kept wild boar," he stated.

"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."

He also claimed he never received the money promised by Fury's team.

He went on to explain why he had originally provided false statements, saying, "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."

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) reported the farmer's original claims of a bribe to the police, stating at the time, "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."

The police investigation remains ongoing.

Both boxers were handed a backdated two-year suspension and have resumed their careers without issue. Tyson Fury has since gone on to capture the WBC world heavyweight title with his stoppage win over Deontay Wilder, and is set to face him for a third time later this year before moving on to a potential all-British world title unification battle with Anthony Joshua.