Tyson Fury has revealed that his cousin, Rico Burton, has died as a result of a fatal stabbing.
Announcing the news on Sunday (August 21), the two-time world heavyweight champion shared a graphic to his Instagram page reading: "STOP KNIFE CRIME."
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Fury wrote in the caption: "My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck."
The boxer continued: "This is becoming ridiculous idiots carry knives. This needs to stop Asap, [UK] government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, its a pandemic and you dont know how bad it is until its 1 of your own [sic]!
"Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick enjoy every moment."
Fury ended his caption by writing: "RIP RICO BURTON [...] may the lord god grant you a good place in [heaven]. see you soon."
The boxing icon concluded the post with the hashtag "#onlycowardscarryweapons".
The Sun reports that further details surrounding the alleged murder are currently unknown. The publication adds that Burton's death comes at a time where knife crime has continued to rise across the UK.
The Daily Mail reports that last night (Saturday, August 20), four men were stabbed in a knife fight in the Brixton area of London.
And on Tuesday, an 87-year-old grandfather was stabbed while on his mobility scooter in the London suburb of Greenford.
Official UK government statistics show that 37,589 knife and offensive weapon offences were recorded between September 2020 and September 2021 - an increase of 3% over the same period the year prior.
However, government figures also show that "the proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offense decreased to 28%" - down from the 36%-38% recorded the previous year.
Last week, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was criticized by former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith for "doing next to nothing" about crime figures in the capital.
"We have gang warfare on the streets of London in some boroughs yet Mr Khan’s priorities seem to be elsewhere. He needs to make this his No1 priority and focus on getting rid of these gangs. Many constituents cannot see the point in him," Smith said, per the Daily Mail.
Our thoughts go out to Burton's family, friends, and fans at this time.
