Tyson Fury has invite to Sports awards rescinded, but not over homophobic comments
Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury has had his invitation to attend the Sports Personality of the Year awards revoked – but not over comments he made about gay people.
World Heavyweight champion Fury has refused to apologise for claiming that once homosexuality, paedophilia and abortion are all made legal, the world will end.
The boxer also claims to have “evidence” that paedophilia was legalised by a fictional ‘Gay Rights Act 1977’ – but the BBC has resisted pressure to rescind his Sports Personality of the Year nomination.
The boxing star’s invite was not revoked due to those comments, but over threats he allegedly made to a sports writer.
Fury will not attend the event in London on 17 December, hosted by the Sports Journalists’ Association but he remains nominated for the award.
The Mail reports that Fury was filmed threatening to break the jaw of the Mirror’s chief sports writer Oliver Holt.
He says: “See ‘big Shane’ there. He’s 6ft 6in and 25 stone. He’s going break his [Holt’s] jaw completely with one straight right hand. I won’t do it as I’ll get in trouble but the big fella there will annihilate him.
“Oliver, take a good look at him because that’s the face you’re going to see before you hit the deck.
“[Turning camera to another member of his team] And that’s the face you’re going to see when he’s jumping on your head.”
A spokesman for the SJA said: “We are aware of threats made by Tyson Fury against one of our members, and therefore feel that it would be incompatible with the nature of our event, or the interests of our members, our other guests and our sponsors, for us to continue to extend a welcome to Tyson Fury to our awards next week.”
Olympic track and field star Greg Rutherford has threatened to pull out of the BBC’s SPOY award if Tyson Fury remains in the shortlist.
As well as calling those who have signed the petition “50,000 wankers”, Fury has taken to Twitter – to claim he doesn’t want the award anyway.
The boxer wrote: “Hopefully I don’t win @BBCSPOTY as I’m not the best roll model in the world for the kids, give it to someone who would appreciate it [prayer emojis].”
However, he also added: “I’ve got more personality than all the other competitors put together in this years @BBCSPOTY who can compete with my sporting achievement!
“The Gypsy King, & the heavyweight champion of the world, will not be silenced I’ll always speak my mind, Like it or lump it, in Jesus name.”
Despite his comments, the BBC says it will not alter the nominations.
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.”
Last week a challenger to Tyson Fury’s heavyweight champ title warned him to watch his mouth.
BBC News presenter Clive Myrie, during a live newspaper review on the BBC News channel branded Fury a “dickhead” after checking that it was “after the watershed”.
