SPOTY 2015: Tyson Fury finishes fourth with 7,000 fewer votes than third-placed Jessica Ennis-Hill

Over 130,000 people had signed a petition urging BBC to remove boxer from shortlist before the awards ceremony

Tyson Fury with his wife Paris at the awards (Getty Images)

Despite petitions against him for his controversial comments, Tyson Fury nearly finished on the podium at tonight's BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

In BBC's public voted sports award of the year, the world champion boxer finished 7,000 votes beined third-placed Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Rugby League icon Kevn Sinfield was voted in second place, with Andy Murray the winner.

Before tennis champion Murray collected the prestigious award, an audience of 7,500 at the SSE arena applauded after world heavyweight champion Fury, 27, one of the 12 short-listed contenders, said his remarks had been tongue-in-cheek.

Fury, whose homophobic and sexist comments had led to more than 130,000 people signing a petition calling for the BBC to remove him from its shortlist, told the crowd, featuring many of Britain's greatest sportsmen and women: "I've said a lot of stuff in the past, none of it with intentions to hurt anybody.

"It's all a bit tongue in cheek, it's all fun and games for me. I'm not really a serious type of person. Everything's happy go lucky with Tyson Fury.

FULL VOTING BREAKDOWN BELOW

"If I've said anything in the past that's hurt anybody, I apologise to anybody's who's been hurt out there. It's not my intention to do that."

The top three of Kevin Sinfield (2), Andy Murray (1), and Jessica Ennis-Hill (3) (PA)

Up to 30 gay and equal-rights campaigners held banners and chanted 'anti-woman, anti-gay, Tyson Fury go away' outside the arena before the Belfast ceremony.