Boxing champion Tyson Fury has asked to be removed from the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year nominees list, following the announcement yesterday. Fury was nominated following his defeat of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas earlier this year, wherein he claimed the WBC title in what the BBC described as: "Another stage in his remarkable comeback after a battle with depression and drugs."However, the Gypsy King has taken to social media to release a video, requesting that the BBC remove him from their list of nominees because he is "The people's champion.""I have no need for verification or any awards," continued the boxer. "I know who I am and what I have done in sports. The love of the people is worth more to me than all of the awards in the world. "To all of my supporters, please don't vote on this. Take me off the list. All my love, Tyson Fury, the Gypsy King." 

Fury was also on the shortlist for the SPOTY award in 2015 when he won three of the four major heavyweight titles (WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO) upon defeating Wladimir Klitschko, who had not been defeated in 12 years prior.

That year, Fury's nomination was met with a petition in protest, which received over 130,000 signatures, due to allegations of homophobic and sexist slurs - he was still kept on the list of nominees by the BBC, and finished fourth. 

This year, Fury has been nominated alongside the now seven-time F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton, jockey Hollie Doyle who broke numerous records, footballer Jordan Henderson, who led Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years

Also on the list is snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan, who won his sixth world title at the Crucible to become the oldest champion for more than 40 years, and cricketer Stuart Broad, now seventh-highest wicket take in Test cricket.