Tyson Fury has admitted taking cocaine as he battles bipolar disorder, with the world heavyweight champion once again casting doubt on whether he will box again.

Fury, who backtracked from his pledge to retire from the sport on Monday, is receiving professional help for mental health issues that have arisen as a result of what he called a "witch-hunt" against him following his victory against Wladimir Klitschko in November last year.

The 28-year-old pulled out of his proposed rematch with Klitschko last month and it has since been reported that he tested positive for cocaine. In his first interview for several months, with Rolling Stone magazine, which was published on Tuesday, Fury admitted that he had taken the drug “in the last few months” and raised questions about whether he would even live to the end of the year.

“It’s been a witch-hunt ever since I won that world title,” he said. “Ever since I got a bit of fame for doing good there’s been a witch-hunt on me because of my background, because of who I am and what I do, there’s hatred for travellers and gypsies around the world. Especially in the United Kingdom.

“Especially with the British Boxing Board of Control and some of the sanctioning bodies of the world titles. From then on, they’ve tried to get me chucked out of boxing because they cannot tame me, they cannot hire me, I’m not for sale, no one can turn a key in my back, no one can do nothing to stop me. So now they’re saying I took some cocaine and whatever.”

Asked if he meant that he had never taken cocaine, Fury said: “Listen, I’ve done a lot of things in my life. I’ve done lots of cocaine. Lots of it. Why shouldn’t I take cocaine? It’s my life, isn’t it? I can do what I want. Yeah, I have done cocaine. Plenty of people have done cocaine as well. What the fuck has that got to do with anything? That ain’t a performance-enhancing drug.

“Am I not allowed to have a life now as well? Do they want to take my personal life off me, too? I’ve not been in a gym for months. I’ve not been training. I’ve been going through depression. I just don’t want to live any more, if you know what I’m saying. I’ve had total enough of it. They’ve forced me to the breaking edge. Never mind cocaine. I just didn’t care. I don’t want to live any more. So cocaine is a little minor thing compared to not wanting to live any more.

“I hope I die every day. And that’s a bad thing to say when I’ve got three children and a lovely wife, isn’t it? But I don’t want to live any more. And if I could take me own life – and I wasn’t a Christian – I’d take it in a second. I just hope someone kills me before I kill me self. I’ll have to spend eternity in hell.”

Fury, who was stripped of his IBF title when it became clear he planned to face Klitschko again instead of the mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov, had postponed the first defence of his WBO and WBA titles from July because of an ankle injury. But he admitted that he has been trying to postpone the fight in a bid to deal with his depression.

“To be honest, yes. I’ve not been in the gym for months. I’ve been awol. I’ve been out drinking, anything to get me mind off what’s been going on to me. You wouldn’t understand it if I told you. It’s so corrupt. And the real people inside of boxing know what’s going on. They know it.

“I don’t see a way out, I don’t even see a way of living for me, I don’t want to live any more. It has brought me to the brink of death, that’s where I’m at at the moment.

“It is crazy, that’s what’s going on, but listen, I don’t really care. They’ve won. They’ve got what they wanted. That’s it. I’m as fat as pig. I’m 285 pounds, 290 pounds. It is what it is. I’ve been out. I’ve been an emotional wreck.”

Fury was then asked whether he was still taking cocaine. “I stopped it all on the first of the month,” he responded. “I’m trying to forget about it all. I’m putting boxing behind me, the drinking, the drugs, just getting back in the church and right with God. Cause that’s all that matters with me. This is me first and last interview. I just want time alone with my family, I’m going through a lot of personal demons, I’ve got demons on me, I’m trying to shake them all off. I want a normal life. I don’t want to box any more, I don’t want it no more.”

(Guardian service)