Boxing: Barry rubbishes Tua drug claims

Kevin Barry has angrily hit back at reports he knowingly fed his former boxing charge David Tua a banned substance, saying he never broke any rules and Tua is again trying to discredit him.

Barry confirmed he gave Tua a weight loss supplement containing ephedrine in 2001, but that they complied with regulations in the United States and that Tua never tested positive.

"This whole story is absurd, fringing on ridiculous," Barry told Radio Sport today.

"This story has been designed and created by David Tua to damage my reputation and discredit me in the media."

The war of words has continued between the two in recent weeks as their court battle continues, with Barry today saying his signed affidavit on the drugs issue was leaked to the media by Tua.

Tua claimed he wouldn't have taken the substance if he'd known it contained ephedrine.

Barry said he sought the weight loss supplement as he prepared Tua for his comeback bout after losing his world heavyweight title bid against Lennox Lewis in 2000.

He said Tua's weight had ballooned up near 300 pounds (136kg), and a month before his next fight was 272 pounds (123kg).

"That's when we started to try and work a plan to get David's weight down. When you're doing that, you're not perfecting a fight plan for your opponent."

Barry said he contacted the head of the Nevada Athletic Commission, and its medical boss, and was given the all-clear before giving Tua the supplement.

"He said 'just get him off the product seven days before the fight'.

"This was an over-the-counter supplement that any member of the public could buy in the United States.

"We were allowed to use it in training to get David's weight down... David has done nothing wrong."

Barry made the claims in a signed affidavit in 2003, in response to claims made by Tua, which he said was never for media consumption.

He later asked for the affidavit to be removed from the court file, agreeing it was irrelevant to their ongoing court battle over finances.

A copy of the affidavit was given to Tua's lawyers, which Barry claimed must be the only way it found its way into the public arena.

"We've got a big trial coming up later this year... I have moved on, I've got a new life, my family are happy. I wish David Tua could move on because these are not the actions of somebody who has moved on with their life," Barry said.

- NZPA