BETTING odds on Tyson Fury winning this year’s Sports Personality of the Year award have drifted after the Wilmslow giant started out as one of the favourites.

Fury’s inclusion in the shortlist came immediately after his upset win over Wladimir Klitschko and he could have been backed at 4/1 with William Hill to take home the BBC gong, attracting bets of up to £200.

However recent comments from the polarising 27-year-old have sparked outrage and caused over 80,000 people to sign a petition urging the BBC to remove Fury from the list of nominees.

While the BBC have stated they will not remove Fury, his odds of winning have drifted to 20/1 as a result of the furore he’s stirred up.

“Fury’s achievement against Wladimir Klitschko was fantastic, however, the award is about personality as well and he certainly rubs people up the wrong way. A SPOTY victory looks unlikely,” said William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly.

The odds for each nominee are:

SPOTY winner: 4/9 Andy Murray; 5/2 Jessica Ennis-Hill; 12/1 Kevin Sinfield; 20/1 Lewis Hamilton; 20/1 Tyson Fury; 66/1 Chris Froome; 80/1 Mo Farah; 100/1 Adam Peaty; 100/1 Greg Rutherford; 100/1 Lizzie Armistead; 100/1 Lucy Bronze; 100/1 Max Whitlock.