Boxing champion Fury investigated for “hate crime” comments

BBC director general Tony Hall is to be questioned over the corporation’s decision not to remove controversial boxer Tyson Fury from the Sports Personality of the Year (Spoty) shortlist following his homophobic and sexist remarks which have since resulted in police launching a hate crime investigation.

The International Boxing Federation stripped Tyson Fury of his heavyweight championship on Tuesday for his refusal to face mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov, per ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael.

Despite the pair sharing time together in Germany recently when Fury defeated Wladimir Klitschko to take four title belts, the 27 year-old has been quoted in several publications calling Lewis derogatory names.

During a discussion on Fury on Monday night, Myrie looked at his watch and said: “It’s after the watershed”.

Fury will need to beat Klitschko in the rematch for him to move forward to big money fights against guys like Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and David Haye.

Fury, the new world heavyweight champion, has repeatedly refused to back down on his claims that the world would end once homosexuality, abortion and paedophilia were legalised. Nonetheless, he’s done nothing for me to be jealous of nor do I hate him.

Further criticism was levelled at the fighter when he said that “a woman’s best place is in the kitchen and on her back”.

I first got involved in sport when I was around seven, clinging on to every word England’s footballers said as if were the law, at an age I also believed my parents when they told me Father Christmas was real.

SNP MP John Nicolson, a member of the Committee who himself wrote to Mr Hall about the issue, slammed Mr Fury for his “unacceptable” remarks and called for the BBC to drop the boxer from its shortlist. That’s my personal belief.

In a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Fury, who is a born-again Christian, said that three things needed to be accomplished “before the devil comes home”.

In defending his comments on BBC’s Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show on 7 December, Fury said: “I love my women and what I said goes for my wife alone”.

Fury held the IBF title for less than two weeks following his points victory over Klitschko in Dusseldorf, but retains the WBA, WBO, and IBO straps.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony is facing a backlash over the inclusion of Tyson Fury in this year’s 12-strong shortlist of nominees.