Boxing: Peter Fury granted dispensation to enter NZ

Peter Fury. Photo / Getty Images

The Government has granted British boxing trainer Peter Fury dispensation to enter New Zealand for Joseph Parker's world heavyweight title fight later this year.

Fury trains his son Hughie, who is taking on Parker in the fight on May 6 in Auckland.

Peter Fury had earlier been declined entry to New Zealand on character grounds, because of two previous stints in prison for drug-related offences.

However, Associate Immigration Minister David Bennett has this evening decided to grant a special direction, giving Fury a visitor visa to New Zealand.

The visa is for March 28-May 10, allowing Fury to be here for a month of preparation before the fight.

The Herald revealed recently that the Fury camp intend to spend up to five weeks in Auckland before the fight in order to acclimatise.

"This is a national sporting event with worldwide interest, and Mr Fury is the trainer of Hughie Fury," Bennett told the Herald.

"While the decision to decline the initial application was correct according to Immigration New Zealand instruction, in this case, under section 17 of the Immigration Act 2009, I am granting a special direction to grant the visitor visa to Mr Fury."

Duco Events boss David Higgins told Fairfax it was a "sound decision".

"He's no risk. He's devoted himself to training world champion boxers for the past 10 years, as evidence with Tyson Fury defeating Wladimir Klitschko for the world heavyweight title."

Peter, also the trainer of Hughie's cousin Tyson, is a key part of Hughie's camp.

In 2013, Peter was refused entry to the USA for Tyson's fight at New York's Madison Square Garden against Steve Cunningham and was forced to watch the fight in Canada. Tyson was knocked down in the second round but won by knockout in the seventh.