World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has been stripped of his IBF title, one of three he won by beating Wladimir Klitschko, after agreeing to a contracted rematch with the Ukrainian instead of fighting the IBF's mandatory challenger. "It's true he's been stripped of his IBF belt," Lindsey Tucker, IBF championships chairman, told the BBC Tuesday. "Our challenger was Vyacheslav Glazkov, but instead Fury's gone and signed a rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko." The 31-year-old Ukrainian Glazkov has a 21-1 record. Fury beat Klitschko, who had reigned as world champion for 11 years, on points on Nov. 28 to take his unbeaten record to 25 professional fights. The contract for last month's title fight in Dusseldorf included a rematch clause, which 39-year-old Klitschko said last week he had decided to exercise. A date and venue have yet to be confirmed. The win earned Fury three versions of the heavyweight crown — the WBA, WBO and IBF — with American Deontay Wilder holding the WBC belt. Boxer reported for ‘hate crime' Fury also struck trouble Tuesday, with a police investigation launched into his comments about homosexuality. Greater Manchester Police said they have received a report of a "hate crime" regarding Fury's comments, which were published in a newspaper interview before his victory over Klitschko on Nov. 28. The Greater Manchester Police said they "take every allegation of hate crime extremely seriously and we will be attending the victim's address to take a statement in due course." Fury's profile has soared since his shock win over Klitschko to capture the WBA, IBF and WBO belts. Controversial remarks that previously went under the radar are now being seized on and questioned because of the added profile from being heavyweight champion of the world. Before the Klitschko fight, Fury also criticized abortion, and said doping should be legalized in all sports to make it "fully fair." In the past week, he has been quoted as saying things regarding women. Fury's remarks prompted more than 100,000 people to have signed a petition calling for him to be removed from the shortlist for the BBC's sports personality of the year award. The BBC is refusing to deselect Fury from the 12-person shortlist. Asked by The Associated Press two days after beating Klitschko if he needs to keep his views to himself now he is heavyweight champion, the 27-year-old Fury said: "There'll be no change in the champ." Fury has also said he was "not bothered" about being a role model to kids. Fury is of Irish-Gypsy heritage — he calls himself "Gypsy King" on Twitter — and comes from a bloodline of bare-knuckle champions. He said he was the most charismatic boxer since Muhammad Ali, making headlines for dressing up as Batman in the run-up to the Klitschko fight.
