Heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson Fury stripped of IBF belt

The Morecambe fighter, 27, beat Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf on November 29 to win the WBA, WBO and IBF world titles.

The IBF cancelled the purse bid for Fury-Glazkov after the champion announced he would be facing Klitschko in a 2016 rematch, which was part of the contractual agreement from the last fight. On Tuesday they agreed to strip the new British champion fragmenting the richest prize in sport once again.

Lindsey Tucker, championships chairman at the IBF, told the BBC: “It’s true he’s been stripped of his IBF belt”. Fury was stripped of his IBF title after just 10 days because he wouldn’t agree to fight IBF mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov, according to the BBC.

Fury will retain the WBA and WBO versions of the heavyweight crown, while American Deontay Wilder is the current holder of the WBC belt.

Instead, the IBF has ordered Florida-based Russian Glazkov to face unbeaten American Charles Martin – creating a third world heavyweight champion.

This really is a drastic move by the sanctioning body. He said he was the most charismatic boxer since Muhammad Ali, making headlines for dressing up as Batman in the run-up to the Klitschko fight.

Fury, who is Catholic, said that among the things that need to stop happening “before the devil comes home…is homosexuality being legal in countries”.

“Who would have thought in the ’50s and ’60s that those first two would be legalised?”

He said: “My employer is hurting me and other gay people by celebrating someone who considers me no better than a paedophile and who believes homosexual people are helping to bring about the end of the world”.

There is now a petition signed by over 119,000 people at the time of writing to have Fury removed from the shortlist of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Newly crowned heavyweight world boxing champion Tyson Fury waits to answer questions as he hosts a media day in Bolton, England, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.

Meanwhile, the British police have also initiated inquiry against Fury over his recent sexist remarks.

Going by the photo below, however, I don’t think Mr. Fury will be too bothered by the BBC revealing their underlying view of him.

“Andy is in a hard position because he feels like he may be faced with choosing between his career and his personal beliefs”, he added.