In an unexpected crossover between boxing and Formula 1, Tyson Fury has aimed a dig at Lewis Hamilton over his own lack of recognition in the UK.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Fury has said that he is “disappointed” at never having been honoured in the Queen’s Honours List, despite being a two-time world heavyweight champion.
The ‘Gypsy King’ became the unified heavyweight champion when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko back in 2015.
In 2020, he capped off one of the greatest boxing comebacks of all-time when he beat Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to win the WBC and The Ring titles.
However, Fury has never been honoured in the UK, nor mentioned in the honours list.
Speaking on the topic, he hit out at Hamilton by saying: “Unlike Lewis Hamilton, I live and pay taxes which went up to £9 million last year.”
When was Hamilton recognised?
Hamilton was awarded a knighthood in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to motorsport, shortly after winning his record-equalling seventh Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.
He is the only F1 driver in history to be given a knighthood whilst still an active driver in the sport.
As well as those accomplishments, the Mercedes driver also broke Michael Schumacher’s record for most F1 race victories (91) in the same year.
In 2007 – the year he began his F1 career – Hamilton moved to Switzerland from the UK. He then moved to Monaco three years later.
Hamilton also owns a property in London.
He is amongst the top taxpayers in the United Kingdom as of last year, as included in a letter by the Labour peer Lord Hain.
On the topic of taxes, Hamilton told The Sunday Times’s Style magazine back in 2014: “What people don’t realise is that I pay tax here [in the UK], but I don’t earn all my money here.
“I race in 19 different countries, so I earn my money in 20 different places and I pay tax in several different places, and I pay a lot here as well.
“I am contributing to the country and, not only that, I help to keep a team of more than 1,000 people employed.”
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