A man will appear in court charged with murdering Rico Burton, the cousin of world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.
The incident that police have described as a “senseless” and “spontaneous” attack took place at about 3am on Sunday outside a bar in the Goose Green area of Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
Liam O’Prey, 21, of no fixed abode, has been remanded in custody and will appear at Manchester and Salford magistrates’ court on 24 August charged with murdering the 31-year-old.
It’s believed that Mr Burton had been out watching the Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk boxing match before he was stabbed on Railway Street, according to the Manchester Evening News.
O’Prey is also accused of the grievous bodily harm (GBH) of a 17-year-old boy who received life-saving treatment from members of the public following the incident, Greater Manchester Police said.
The teenager, believed to have been related to Mr Burton, has been in a stable condition in hospital with “some significant life-changing injuries,” the force said.
A 20-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail pending the police’s ongoing enquiries.
Mr Burton’s family is being supported by specialist officers, police said. His death led Mr Fury to post a plea on social media for an end to knife crime, writing: “This needs to stop.”
In a post on Sunday, the boxer said his cousin was stabbed in the neck and called on the government to impose harsher penalties for those convicted of knife crimes.
Shadow home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Monday: “Knife crime is destroying lives and devastating families.
“This is yet another horrific killing on Britain’s streets. It is becoming a national crisis and we need urgent action before more lives are lost.”
The office of PM Boris Johnson said his thoughts “are with the family” of Mr Burton and Mr Fury but defended the government’s efforts to reduce crime by saying that it has been “boosting police ranks” and giving them “greater powers of stop and search and new court orders to target known knife carriers”.
Steve Egan, 60, chief coach at Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy where Mr Burton trained, said he was “devastated” by the news.
He said: “Rico was a lovely lad… (he) trained with us for five years, won two national titles, he was a fantastic boxer, a very relaxed and skilful boxer.
“He could (have) gone a long way in the professional boxing ranks, lovely lad, always smiling ... We are all devastated by this very sad news and really feel for all the family. RIP Rico Burton.”
Police are appealing to the public for information related to the incident outside the bar.
Those with information are asked to contact Greater Manchester Police by calling 0161 856 7386 quoting incident 475 of 21/08/2022.
Photos, videos and information can also be uploaded via the force’s major incident public portal by clicking here.
Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
