Thursday 7 December 2017 16:16, UK
Tyson Fury's anti-doping hearing is to start on Monday, Sky Sports understands.
The 29-year-old has not boxed since he beat Wladimir Klitschko to claim the world heavyweight title back in November 2015. Since then, his boxing licence has been stripped and he has been awaiting the resumption of an anti-doping case after being charged with "the presence of a prohibited substance" in June 2016.
Fury has also been charged with failure to provide a sample in September last year.
The hearing could last as long as five days and the boxer, who is hoping to resume his career in 2018, could be banned for up to four years if found guilty.
The reason why this has taken so long, so I have been led to believe is because Mr Fury's legal team could not agree a date for the recommencement of the hearing. Now they have done, the hearing will begin.
Sky Sports spoke to Robert Smith, the British Boxing Board of Control general secretary, in November to shed some light on why the hearing has taken so long to commence.
"It's taken so long, so I have been led to believe, because Mr Fury's legal team could not agree a date for the recommencement of the hearing," said Smith. "Now they have done, the hearing will begin.
"From the beginning, UK Anti-Doping has pushed for resolution of the charges as quickly as possible and has invested significant resources in trying to achieve this. There are various reasons why, nevertheless, the charges have not yet been heard on the merits.
"It is therefore inaccurate to suggest either that UK Anti-Doping is failing to pursue these charges as quickly as possible, or that Mr Tyson Fury and Mr Hughie Fury [who was also charged] are being treated differently to other athletes.
Fury will not be guaranteed a renewed boxing license if he is found not guilty in the hearing adjudicated by the National Anti-Doping Panel.
"It is publicly known that Mr. Fury has a number of health issues and we would have to look at that," Smith concluded.
