The shortlist for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year has been announced with Manchester’s Tyson Fury nominated and Marcus Rashford set to be honoured with a special award.
Fury, from Wythenshawe, the self-styled ‘Gypsy King’ defeated Deontay Wilder to become WBC world heavyweight champion in Las Vegas this February.
The win came after a hard fought battle for the fighter who has been struggling from depression and drugs.
Defeating Wilder against all the odds, in what was their second bout, earned Fury a nomination five years after he was controversially omitted following his victory over Wladimir Klitschko.
Fury has been nominated alongside F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Cricketer Stuart Broad, Jockey Hollie Doyle, Footballer Jordan Henderson and Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Meanwhile, England and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, also from Wythenshawe, will be given a special award to honour his amazing work to raise awareness for child food poverty across the UK.
The BBC have also commissioned a documentary on the forward who successfully led a campaign that resulted in 1.3 million children in England being able to claim free-school meal vouchers over the summer holidays.
The recognition comes as one of many following an incredible street mural that was painted on a wall in Withington where the player grew up.
The awards ceremony will take place on December 20; it will come live from Media City in Salford and be show on BBC One.
You can vote online or by phone for the main award during the show. The winner will be announced at the end of the ceremony.
