Battle rages over the 'King of Sheffield's' final resting place: £200k 37-ton headstone remembering bare-knuckle boxing traveller built without permission still stands two years on - as father-of-nine's widow threatens 'very bad riots' if it is torn down

The huge memorial honours 'Big Willy Collins', who died aged 49 in 2020

The widow of the late ‘traveller king’ of Sheffield has threatened that there will be ‘war’ if the boxer’s £200,000 37-ton headstone which was built without permission is torn down.

The marble gravestone, dedicated to ‘Big’ Willy Collins, known to some as the ‘King of Sheffield’, remains in the city’s Shiregreen Cemetery, almost two years after it was unveiled.

A spat between the council and traveller family began in March 2022 when Sheffield council confirmed that the grave was erected without planning permission.

The monument is said to be made of 37 tons of solid Carrara marble and features a solar-powered jukebox which plays his favourite tunes, as well as flashing LED lights and a lifesize 6ft 2in statue of Willy himself.

Believed to have cost around £200,000, the tribute ‘fit for a king’ also features four flagpoles and a marble bench, as well as depictions of Jesus Christ and biblical scenes.

The council is considering ‘next steps’ over the headstone but Kathleen, the widow of the bare-knuckle boxer, has threatened ‘bad riots’ if it is removed – even hiring a security guard.

The widow of the late ‘traveller king’ of Sheffield has threatened that there will be ‘war’ if the boxer’s £200,000 37-ton headstone which was built without permission is torn down

The monument is said to be made of 37 tons of solid Carrara marble and features a solar-powered jukebox which plays his favourite tunes

Believed to have cost around £200,000, the tribute ‘fit for a king’ also features four flagpoles and a marble bench, as well as depictions of Jesus Christ and biblical scenes

The marble gravestone, dedicated to Willy Collins, known to some as the ‘King of Sheffield’, remains in the city’s Shiregreen Cemetery, almost two years after it was unveiled

The memorial features two life-sized statues of Big Willy’s six-foot-two frame (pictured)

The headstone also features LED lights that can change colour, and has 24-hour CCTV

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

One of 16 children, Willy was the patriarch of the large Collins family in Sheffield

The headstone reads: ‘My daddy, my best friend, my first love and forever my king’

The private plot, which is thought to be one of the largest graves in the UK, was unveiled in March 2022 after he died when he collapsed on holiday in Majorca in July 2020.

A month after his death, hundreds of people came out to attend the funeral of the 49-year-old, who was very well known in the Darnall area of Sheffield.

Following his death, all of his sons got tattoos of Willy’s face (pictured)

Despite its massive cost and size, the imposing marble structure was branded an ‘eyesore’ when it was unveiled, with some left questioning how the ‘monstrosity’ was ever allowed to be built.

Other mourners expressed their frustration after they were told they weren’t allowed to put up small picket fences around graves for their loved ones – and called the headstone ‘insensitive’ and ‘tacky’.

The council currently has ‘no further updates’ on the removal of the grave, despite saying in March 2022 that they were ‘considering’ their ‘next steps’ which prompted Willy’s family to warn that there ‘would be war’ if the memorial was touched.

This saw the family hire a security guard to monitor the colossal shrine, with the widow threatening ‘very bad riots’ if the council touched it.

But the grave remains in its full form and can be spotted from far away, standing significantly taller than all of the graves.

One of 16 children, Willy was the patriarch of the Collins family, and is said to have doted on his children and grandchildren, and to have had around 400 nieces and nephews.

Kathleen (pictured) and her nine children were so devastated when Willy died suddenly

Sharing details of his life, Kathleen (pictured kissing Willy on holiday) described him as a charismatic ‘gentle giant’ who ‘loved peace’ and was also known affectionately as ‘Big Willy’

Kathleen and Willy are pictured on their wedding day in 1989

The family applied to the council for planning permission for a headstone in his honour (pictured) but when it memorial was unveiled and the headstone measured 10-feet high with two life sized statues of Big Willy and a jukebox, they were complaints

His cortege was led by people in blue velvet suits

Collins was a father-of-nine and all his young relatives used to call him ‘Big Daddy’

Friends and family dressed in their finest for the funeral of the patriarch following his death

Tributes paid to Willy by his family said that he ‘still means the world to us’

Willy Collins is said to have doted on his children and grandchildren

Willy, who was born in Ireland, moved to Sheffield in 1980

A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council said: ‘We are currently trying to address this situation and there are no other updates to report at the moment.’

The council confirmed that the grave was built ‘without permission’ in March 2022, saying that it exceeds the maximum dimensions permitted for a grave site, and that they were ‘considering’ their ‘next steps’.

Councillor Alison Teal, executive member for sustainable neighbourhoods, well-being, parks and leisure, said: ‘We are aware of a large memorial which has been erected in Shiregreen Cemetery. This memorial was built without permission and we are currently considering our next steps.

‘Cemeteries are a place where people can come, pay their respects and visit loved ones who are no longer with us. We understand memorials are deeply personal, however we must have rules in place to ensure fairness.’

Sheffielder Sharon Jones wrote online: ‘How has something this big been allowed when people aren’t even allowed a little picket fence or similar around plots?’

While Rosy Ashton said: ‘My son is buried in Wisewood cemetery and we were ordered to take down a small stone trim around his grave. One rule for some and another rule for others.’

Catherine Elizabeth also took to Facebook to say: ‘He’s allowed THAT, but the rest cant even put a tiny border in front of a normal headstone!’

Friends and family of Willy Collins gather as they pay tribute to him in his childhood home town in Sheffield in 2020

Horses in yellow and blue feathers pulled a white funeral carriage holding a 22-carat gold coffin that he was laid to rest in in 2020

The bare knuckle boxer’s body was in a gold coffin when he was buried in the cemetery

For the funeral service in 2020, friends and family let off blue flares

Hundreds lined the streets in the city in August 2020 for Big Willy’s final send off

His cortege was led by people in velvet suits and crowns with a white funeral carriage

The father-of-nine was a well-known member of the traveller community

Jackie Wilson wrote: ‘So the Cemetery will now be invaded by sightseers. I’m sure other mourners will appreciate it! How insensitive and tacky.’

Upon his death, tributes poured in from across the UK and his beloved home city, where he was known by many as the King of Sheffield.

Hundreds lined the streets in the city in August 2020 for Big Willy’s final send off, with his body being carried in a gold-plated casket, transported by a horse pulled carriage.

His cortege was led by people in velvet suits and crowns with a white funeral carriage being pulled by six plumed horses wearing yellow and blue feathers, 40 Rolls Royce cars and some bikers and vintage cars.

Mary Collins, 30, Willy’s daughter, said at the time: ‘It’s a sad day but it’s also a way to show the world what he meant to us.

‘Our father was a family man and he means the world to us – he still means the world to us. We’ve given him everything we’ve got and he deserves it.

‘If you met him once for five minutes you would never forget him.

‘We now have somewhere where we can meet and talk about him and for others to remember him.

‘He was my best friend. Not a day goes by where we all don’t think of him.’