Tyson Fury Apologizes for Comments Regarding Gay People and Women

Manchester boxer Tyson Fury recently beat Wladimir Klitschko to become the heavyweight champion, but that is far from the only reason he has been in the news.

According to BBC.com, Fury apologized on Sunday at the BBC Sports Personality Awards for derogatory comments he made toward gay people and women:

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At the ceremony, the British fighter said: 'If I've said anything in the past that's hurt anybody, I apologise.'

Asked about his remarks by Gary Lineker in a live on-stage interview at the Belfast event, Fury said: 'I've said a lot of stuff in the past and none of it with intentions to hurt anybody.

'It's all very tongue in cheek, it's all fun and games to me. I'm not a very serious kind of person - it's all very happy-go-lucky with Tyson Fury.'

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Many in the audience booed when Fury’s name was read as a candidate for the Sports Personality of the Year award.

Matt Payton of Metro.co.uk passed along Fury's original comments to the Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt that turned heads: "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 one's pedophilia. Who would have thought in the '50s and '60s that those first two would be legalised?"

As a result of those comments, approximately 140,000 signed a petition for the boxer to be removed from contention for the award. There were also about 40 people outside the award site protesting.

Fury finished in fourth place for the Sports Personality award, which tennis player Andy Murray won.