Tyson Fury warned by boxing board over controversial comments

The Morecambe fighter faced a backlash for comments he made before and after his upset victory over Wladimir Klitschko in November to capture the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.

He was summonsed to explain himself to the BBBoC, which has acknowledged Fury, who has since been stripped of his IBF title for unrelated reasons, has not broken any laws and is entitled to free speech.

A statement on Wednesday read: “Tyson Fury has made comments in the media that have caused offence to members of our society. However, there is no suggestion that he has broken the law by exercising his right to freedom of expression.

“In such circumstances, the stewards of the British Boxing Board of Control have been advised that it cannot interfere with his basic human rights.

“Having said that, the stewards of the board have made it clear to him that as world heavyweight champion, arguably the holder of the most prestigious title in sport, there are heavy responsibilities upon him to avoid making controversial, non-boxing comments.

“He has assured the stewards that he understands the responsibilities upon him and has expressed regret that he has caused offence to others, which was never his intention.”

His achievements in outpointing Klitschko earned the 27-year-old a place on the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, although a petition to have him removed exceeded 140,000 signatures.

At the awards themselves, Fury apologised if his comments had “hurt anybody” as he came fourth in the vote.