Tyson Fury controversy continues with police probe

Tyson Fury’s eventful reign as world heavyweight champion continued on Tuesday with a hate crime accusation and, in a separate issue, the removal of one of his titles.

Fury beat long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf on November 29 to win three world titles – but is already down to two after being stripped of the IBF belt.

That was not connected to the 27-year-old’s controversial comments about homosexuality, although that issue refuses to go away after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed they were investigating allegations of a hate crime.

Fury was criticised for his views in the lead-up to his fight against Klitschko. He denied making several homophobic comments attributed to him in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, which has stood by its story.

Fury said in an interview with Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 this week: “Homosexuality, abortion and paedophilia – them three things need to be accomplished before the world finishes. That’s what the Bible tells me.”

After that clip was played on Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC Two show, a spokeswoman for GMP said: ”At 10:30am on Tuesday we received a report of a hate crime following comments made about homosexuality on the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

”As with all allegations of hate crime we are taking the matter extremely seriously and will be attending the victim’s address to take a statement in due course.”

Fury has said in another interview that “a woman’s best place is in the kitchen and on her back”.

An online petition calling for him to be removed from the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year shortlist, citing “homophobic and misogynistic comments”, has attracted more than 100,000 signatures.

John Nicolson MP, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson for culture, media and sport, said according to the Huffington Post: “Sport is one of the last great bastions of homophobia in society.

“Tyson Fury’s nomination will send out the clearest of signals – that extreme bigotry is not a disqualification for one of the UK’s highest sporting honours. This cannot be right.”

Fury’s trainer and uncle, Peter Fury, told Derbyshire that his nephew should not be removed from the award nominations but should apologise for airing his controversial views.

Peter Fury said: “He gives his opinions. He’s not a robot. There is freedom of speech – we’re in 2015. If he’s offensive he needs to explain his actions and move on from there but he’s entitled to his opinion just like everybody else.

“He’s not saying in his own view that homosexuality is anything like paedophilia. If it’s coming out exactly like that, that paedophilia is the same as homosexuality, there there needs to be some sort of redress.”

Later on Tuesday, Fury lost his IBF title having signed up to fight Klitschko again rather than the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger.

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

“Our challenger was Vyacheslav Glazkov, but instead Fury’s gone and signed a rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko.”