ESPN reporter Israel Gutierrez was on Friday’s Around The Horn panel, and he used his game-winning FaceTime to call out boxer Tyson Fury’s well-documented homophobia.
Fury is facing Tom Schwarz on Saturday, and Gutierrez said he still plans to watch. He explained why, despite the fact that Fury has made disparaging remarks against the LGBTQ community. The boxer has also expressed misogynistic views, in addition to making several other offensive comments.
So Gutierrez used his moment at the end of Around The Horn to share his feelings about Fury and make a powerful statement during Pride Month.
Gutierrez said:
“Just wanted to let you guys know what it feels like to watch Tyson Fury, a man who’s been very open about his beliefs, including the fact that homosexuality and the acceptance of it is a sign that the world is ending.
“It makes me feel like I don’t matter. It makes me feel like my friends don’t matter. It makes me feel like my partner doesn’t matter. It takes me right back to my teenage years and my early childhood when I looked around and thought everybody was looking down on me, thinking that I’m lesser than just because of this way I was born.
“But I’m still going to watch, and I’m going to hope that it strengthens me because it’s because of guys like that that I have to fight every single day. Happy Pride, everyone.”
The show’s host, Tony Reali, was particularly moved by Gutierrez’s statement, and while re-sharing the Around The Horn clip, he posted a thread on Twitter about Fury.
Reali pointed out how Fury has been called “the people’s champion” and said the fighter doesn’t deserve that title after arguing against the existence of an entire group of people. In part, he wrote: “You’re not a people’s champion of anything if you have to explain that it’s only some people, and others go to hell.”
He also praised and expressed his support for Gutierrez speaking out.
