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The 37-tonne white marble memorial for bare-knuckle boxer ‘Big’ Willy Collins made international headlines after being unveiled at Shiregreen Cemetery on March 17.

Controversy erupted after Sheffield Council said the plans which were submitted and approved for the giant monument – which includes two life-size statues of the traveller patriarch, four flagpoles and even a jukebox – ‘differ from the memorial now in place’.

The council said it was ‘reaching out’ to the family, but, speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Collins’ widow Kathleen Collins said there would be ‘war’ if the memorial was damaged or taken down.

The Willy Collins memorial at Shiregreen Cemetery in Sheffield

The council subsequently confirmed it had written to the family to discuss the matter.

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“We hope we can come to an agreement with Mr Collins' loved ones about how we move forward with this situation soon,” it said in a statement issued at the end of April.

Now, 10 weeks after the memorial was unveiled, the council said it had no update to offer and is continuing to try to correspond with the family. A council spokesperson added that at this stage no time limit had been set for the family to respond.

Willy Collins, who was known to many as Big Willy Collins, was just 49 when he collapsed and died while on holiday with his family in Majorca in July 2020

Shiregreen and Brightside ward councillor Peter Price said local opinion appeared to be divided over the headstone, based on the reactions from those he had spoken to.

“It’s fairly split, from what I can tell. Some people think it’s an abomination which is out of character but others appear to be warming to it,” he said.

“There’s actually a very similar one down there, only it’s in black stone, and this one (Willy Collins’ headstone) is well away from the main part of the graveyard, down at the bottom of the hill, and out of sight for most people.

“I’m not sure what the outcome’s going to be. Whatever happens, it’s clearly going to be very controversial.

This marble statue at Sheffield's Shiregreen Cemetery depicts Willy Collins as he looked when he was bare-knuckle fighting. It is part of his 37-tonne headstone, which was unveiled in March

“The family are adamant they got permission and they’re going to fight all the way to let it stay as it is.

“Some people think it’s been done without permission and that other people would not have been allowed to do something similar – they think ‘why can they do it and not me?’.

“The family paid for three plots but I don’t think the officers realised what they were going to do with those three plots.”

Coun Price added that while there was much made of the jukebox initially, he was not aware of any noise complaints and understood it was very rarely used.

Personally, he said he felt the flagpoles should go but as for the rest of the monument ‘if it wasn’t in white marble, it wouldn’t be too bad’.

“Some people enjoy the publicity it’s given to the area and while some still want it shifted, others think it’s not too bad and have grown accustomed to it,” he added.

Willy Collins, who was a dad-of-nine, died unexpectedly aged 49 in July 2020 while on holiday with his family in Majorca to celebrate his wife’s birthday.

The Star contacted Mr Collins’ family, who said they wouldn’t be commenting further.

William Collins: 'Opinion split' as impasse continues over giant headstone at Sheffield's Shiregreen Cemetery