Family of 'Traveller King' boxer 'Big Willy Collins' 'draft in SECURITY' to guard his 37-ton £200,000 gravestone as they vow to fight council bid to tear it down for breaking planning rules

 The family of a well-known bare-knuckle boxer have hired security to protect his huge tombstone from a council that wants to demolish it.

Relatives of 'Traveller King' William Collins brought in the heavies to protect his 37-tonne, £200,000 memorial - thought to be the UK's largest grave - in Sheffield.They vowed to fight the local authority's attempts to destroy it, claiming 'it would be a blatant matter of racism'.

Mr Collins, known as the 'King of Sheffield', was 49 when he collapsed and died while on holiday with his family in July 2020.

His family imported Carrara marble from Italy to sculpt the huge shrine to the father of nine, which sits in the Roman Catholic section of Shiregreen cemetery.

Sheffield City Council now want to tear it down because they claim it does not fit the plans originally proposed.

Relatives of 'Traveller King' William Collins brought in the heavies to protect his 37-tonne, £200,000 memorial - thought to be the UK's largest grave - in Sheffield

They vowed to fight the local authority's attempts to destroy it, claiming 'it would be a blatant matter of racism'

Mr Collins' daughter Mary told the Sun: 'I do not understand why they would take against this tribute to my father.

'Any attempt to have us take this down would be fought legally as it would be a blatant matter of racism. The Council knew what we were doing.

Mr Collins, known as the 'King of Sheffield', was 49 when he collapsed and died while on holiday with his family in July 2020

'They signed it off. The footings were down for months and it took the builders two weeks to construct the headstone so they had plenty of chances to raise objections.'

She claimed it was not even the tallest one in the cemetery, with one to the Bishop of Sheffield looming over it.

The family said they have hired a security firm to protect the site as well as erected CCTV cameras.

Mr Collins' huge headstone is decorated with two life sized statues of the fighter as well as four Irish tri-colours.

There are also four flagpoles, pictures of Jesus and scenes from the Bible, and a solar-powered jukebox bursting full of his favourite songs.

Mr Collins moved from Ireland to Sheffield in 1980 when he was a children and was raised in the Steel City.

He was one of 16 children and the head of the Collins household - with about 400 nieces and nephews.

His funeral saw 30 Rolls Royces joined by quad bikes, mopeds and horses line the road before driving to his plot where his gold-plated coffin was laid to rest. 

Mourners who visit his final resting place can also connect to the speaker through Bluetooth to play their own songs

The gargantuan memorial is surrounded by Irish flags and features a statue of the Pieta, with Mary cradling Jesus

Willy died aged 49 after collapsing while on holiday with his family in Majorca in July 2020

Shiregreen cemetery also has a number of other members of his family buried there, with a paper globe at the entrance saying: 'Collins Way.'

Sheffield City Council said it wanted to talk to the family about differences between the plans and the structure.

Alison Teal said: 'Sheffield City Council approved plans for a memorial, however the plans which were submitted and approved differ from the memorial now in place.

'This was not fully appreciated until after the structure was fully unveiled.

'We have reached out to the family and intend to discuss changes which need to be made in order to satisfy the cemetery rules and take into consideration other cemetery users.

'It would not be appropriate to discuss the details further as this is a sensitive matter and we wish to speak with the family fully in the coming days.'