For all his feats in the ring, Fury is no role model
In line for the sports personality shortlist, the fighter can be equally inspiring and offensive, writes Tom Cary
A good chunk of the voting public will never be able to stomach such a man winning
So, bravo once again Andy Murray. His Insta-reaction to inaugural women’s Ballon d’or winner Ada Hegerberg being asked to twerk on stage – condemning the “unreal sexism” that exists in sport – has been widely praised. And rightly so.
Not only was Murray spot on with his hot take ( joke or no joke, there is no way the show’s host would have asked Luka Modric if he knew how to do a slut-drop), his consistent support for gender equality is, in itself, deserving of huge respect.
Whether it was his choice of Amelie Mauresmo as coach, correcting reporters in press conferences for casual sexism, or writing essays on the BBC website talking about the inspiring role his mother has played in his career, we all agree that Murray is a thoroughly good egg and the sooner he is back on court the better.
Which is more than can be said of Tyson Fury. No one can agree on what to think about him or his mega-fight in Los Angeles last weekend.
Fury’s Lazarus-like climb off the canvas to dominate the final minutes of his heavyweight contest against Deontay Wilder was impressive.
But the only thing more predictable than the rush to tout him for BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Ladbrokes managed to get a press release out by 6am on Sunday morning) was the heated debate which has followed regarding his worthiness for the award.
The truth is, there is no easy answer. On the one hand this is someone who has inspired people; who has battled mental health issues, alcohol and drug addiction, come back from the brink of suicide, lost 10st, pledged his entire $8million (£6.3 million) purse from the Wilder fight to the homeless, boxed brilliantly and sung American Pie in his post-fight press conference.
On the other, there are those offensive remarks about women, gay people and Jewish people. Oh, and a two-year doping ban after testing positive for a banned steroid in February 2015.
As Callum Skinner, the gold-medal winning cyclist from Rio 2016, tweeted: “Choked on my Cheerios this morning ... @ Bbcnewsbeat ‘Tyson_ Fury who has overcome a doping ban’. Not totally sure ‘overcome’ is appropriate ... he tested positive for steroids. It’s shown that steroid use can give you lifelong gains. His opponents have to overcome that issue.”
Well, quite. Of course, Skinner’s view was immediately shot down by those for whom a cyclist preaching about clean sport was all too much. But surely he has a point. Is this really the sort of sportsman or woman we want to see win SPOTY? (Skinner, by the way, sits on UK Anti-doping’s Athlete Commission, so he is eminently well placed to comment.)
Maybe it is. Maybe the fact that Fury has overcome such adversity, including being on the receiving end of racial and bigoted abuse himself while growing up in the traveller community, means we can cut him some slack for past rantings?
Maybe the fact that he has pledged all of this money to charity, and inspired people suffering from mental health issues, outweighs a drugs ban? He is certainly a hell of a character. And a bloody good boxer.
On the other hand, one suspects a good chunk of the voting public will never be able to stomach such a man winning, a fact the bookies appear to have acknowledged with Fury now, behind Harry Kane and Lewis Hamilton. Like Murray, they are less problematic role models. Fury, for all that his is an incredible story, will always divide opinion.