Fury still a contender for Sundays BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Traveller heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is still in the running for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award on the 20th December despite a 140,000 strong petition to have him banned.
Fury is up for the honor for defeating long-reining champion Wladimir Klitschko for the world title. Tyson Fury is the first ever unified world-champion from a G/R/T background and also the first be shortlisted for the prestigious award.
The controversial boxer’s inclusion for the award has been met with disagreement in some quarters due to his comments in recent interviews. A petition to have Fury removed from contention, has reached 140,000 signatures. The BBC has released a press release in regards to the opposition stating: "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."
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is an annual live event every December voted for by the people to honor a British sports-person’s achievement for the year; former winners include former boxers Henry Cooper and Lennox Lewis.
Tyson Fury: BBC Sports Personality 2015 contender page. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/34984302
The ceremony will be live on BBC 1 at 18:50 on Sunday 20th December.
You can get your vote in by phone or online on the day of the event. For more details on how to vote click this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/35088225