MP Bryant invites boxer Fury to ‘talk about his issues’

RHONDDA MP Chris Bryant has pleaded with world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury to get in touch with him to ‘talk about his issues’ following comments he made on homosexuality and paedophilia.

Fury, who was crowned heavyweight champion after defeating Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf last month, caused controversy with remarks made in an interview with the Mail on Sunday in the fight’s build-up.

The 27-year-old was reported to have said: “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 paedophilia.

“Who would have thought in the 50s and 60s that those first two would be legalised?

“When I say paedophiles can be made legal, that sounds like crazy talk doesn’t it? But back in the 50s and early 60s, for them first two to be made legal would have been looked on as a crazy man again.”

Fury later said he was misquoted, saying: “It is all misquotes. It is newspapers trying to sell papers on writing bad things about me.”

The boxer was shortlisted as one of 12 contenders for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year but a petition has since been launched by LGBT campaigners for him to be pulled from the list and has more than 30,000 signatures.

Mr Bryant, who raised the matter in Parliament, said such comments meant child abuse could end up being taken less seriously. The Rhondda MP told Sky News: “My real problem is that Tyson has equated homosexuality with paedophilia and that is a very dangerous equation to make because it means that we don’t take child abuse seriously.

“Actually the vast majority of child abuse happens within the family and it’s heterosexual. Apart from anything else there are millions of gay and lesbian couples who would never touch a child except to prevent harm to them.”

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Mr Bryant said he would be happy to go ‘head-to-head with’ Fury, pleading for him to join him at the House of Commons.

“He’s not replied,” Mr Bryant added. “Mr Fury please get in touch. Come to tea at the House of Commons and we can talk about your issues.”

The plea came as Fury’s uncle told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek he would be willing to apologise.

Peter Fury said: “Tyson is happy to give a public apology and explain in detail exactly what he means. It was taken out of context.”