The IBF has stripped Tyson Fury of their heavyweight title for refusing to disregard a contractually-enforced rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko in favor of a mandatory defense against no. 1 ranked Vyacheslav Glazkov.
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However, his triumph in the ring has been widely praised, with the Briton becoming the first man to beat Klitschko in over 10 years and claim his IBF, WBA and WBO world titles.
Tyson Fury is stripped of his IBF title after Wladimir Klitschko activates his rematch clause.
“It’s true he’s been stripped of his IBF belt”, the BBC quoted IBF championships chairman Lindsey Tucker as saying.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police are investigating an allegation of hate crime against Fury after a complaint was received following comments the fighter made on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme.
Fury will retain the WBA and WBO versions of the heavyweight crown, while American Deontay Wilder is the current holder of the WBC belt.
He has also said previously: “There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home: one of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other is paedophilia”.
So what exactly has Fury said to raise so much furore among members of the public?
Over 100,000 people have now signed a petition calling on the BBC to remove Fury from the broadcaster’s shortlist for the Sports Personality of the Year (Spoty) award.
Confirming the news, a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokeswoman said that the force was taking the matter seriously and revealed that the boxer would be questioned in person before further investigation.
The 27-year-old’s next fight will instead be a rematch against Ukrainian veteran. The BBC has said that his inclusion is “not an endorsement of an individual’s personal beliefs”.
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Fury has been at the centre of controversy following his comments about women and gay people. “He has to realise I’m not after him, I’m after what he has – the belts”.
