A week on from Tyson Fury's victory against Wladimir Klitschko and the heavyweight world champion is still in the headlines, though not for the reasons which he would ultimately desire.
Three days prior to the clash between the Briton and Ukrainian in Dusseldorf last weekend, a video shot by IFL TV showed Fury making threats towards Mail on Sunday journalist Oliver Holt.
The Manchester boxer told of how his 6' 6", 25 stone associate Shane was going to break "Oliver 'The Wank Stain' Holt's" jaw with a straight right hand.
Fury's declaration regarded a now well-known interview which Holt conducted with him in early November. The 27-year-old later claimed - while speaking to Sean O'Rourke on RTÉ Radio One - that his views about homosexuality had been misquoted. Holt dismissed any notion of this on Tuesday's Off The Ball, while the MailOnline published the full transcript and video of the interview.
Holt has made a further countermove against Fury in his Mail on Sunday column today.
He describes Fury as a 'bully and a bigot' and someone who does not have the 'courage of his convictions'. The latter regards the boxer's attempts to mitigate by claiming he was simply parroting the bible, along with asserting that he was misquoted.
Holt, rightly, believes that Fury's views on homosexuality should not go unchallenged especially now that he has the platform afforded to a heavyweight world champion.
Fury is not beyond redemption according to Holt though.
Fury is a fragile, intelligent, compelling man who is not without redeeming features. He is an articulate speaker, too. I hope he comes to terms with his new responsibilities. I hope he comes to realise that his views have caused a lot of people distress and that he turns away from them.
No one expects Fury to be a saint but nor should he expect to be allowed to spread insidious messages that many find highly offensive without being called to account for them. He deserves our admiration for what he achieved in Dusseldorf and he deserves our disdain for his bullying and his bigotry. Simply looking the other way should never be an option.
