A petition calling for the removal of Tyson Fury from the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year shortlist has reached 80,000 signatures.

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury

Fury, 27, dethroned reigning world champion Wladimir Klitschko on November 28, winning his WBA Super, WBO and IBF titles with a unanimous points decision and ending the Ukrainian veteran's 11-year and 22-fight undefeated streak.

However, the new world champion has been known to make very controversial statements about women and gay people, inspiring LGBT campaigner Scott Cuthbertson to begin the petition for Fury to be removed from the SPOTY shortlist.

"He has repeatedly made degrading, insulting and homophobic and sexist remarks," Cuthbertson said.

"He is fully entitled to his views, but this is about the BBC putting Tyson up as a role model to young people."

Fury has previously said that the legalisation of paedophilia in addition to the decriminalisation of homosexuality and abortion would see "the devil come home".

"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," the Brit said in an interview.

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

After his win in Dusseldorf, Fury also made comments about the "place" of women: "I'm not sexist. I believe a woman's best place is in the kitchen and on her back. That's my personal belief."

Fury has since defended his comments, stating that he does not want people to "make (him) out to be some evil person", because he does not "hate anybody".

"The only thing I have for people is love and that's what the world needs to realise. What a man does in his own home and with his own people is his own problems."

The BBC said it was standing by its original shortlist of 12 for the award, and in a statement said: "The Sports Personality shortlist is compiled by a panel of industry experts and is based on an individual's sporting achievement - it is not an endorsement of an individual's personal beliefs, either by the BBC or members of the panel."