Bigot Fury won’t spoil my night: Rutherford in sports personality award U-turn

However, Greater Manchester Police are investigating a hate crime allegation after Fury made comments about homosexuality on the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

“We don’t hear about the good things that I’m doing – we just hear about the comments that people want to twist and want to make me sound like I hate people and that I hate the world”.

West, like many others, was speaking out after taking offence to homophobic and sexist remarks made by Fury (pictured) during an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

“It’s true he’s been stripped of his IBF belt”, Lindsey Tucker, IBF championships chairman, told the BBC Tuesday.

Though the status update has since been taken down, a BBC source told BuzzFeed News that as a result of the comments West was “reprimanded by a manager” and “told an investigation would be launched into his conduct and warned he could be suspended”.

The BBC was forced to apologize on Tuesday after its presenter Clive Myrie described Fury as a “d*ckhead” during a live TV newspaper review on Monday night.

Rutherford said in a statement: “I have been in discussions with the BBC regarding my involvement with SPOTY after hearing what I believe to be very out-dated and derogatory comments from a fellow SPOTY nominee”.

He has also been accused of sexism for saying Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill “slaps up good” and that “a woman’s best place is in the kitchen and on her back”.

Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko last month to claim the world titles.

Fury, who is a born-again Christian, said that three things needed to be accomplished “before the devil comes home”.

“I think his comments will harm him to get endorsements”.

He took the WBO, WBA and IBF title belts from the 39-year-old. ‘I made my bed now I have time to lie in it!’

The IBF were giving Fury until the 27th December to honour their stipulations in fighting mandatory challenger for the belt in the form of Ukrainian, Vyacheslav Glazkov (21-0-1).

A spokesperson said: “The Sports Personality shortlist is compiled by a panel of industry experts and is based on an individual’s sporting achievement – it is not an endorsement of an individual’s personal beliefs either by the BBC or members of the panel”. Instead, Fury agreed to a rematch with Klitschko.