Gary Lineker tussles with professional boxer on Twitter over climate change comment

Broadcaster and former England striker Gary Lineker has locked horns with boxer Anthony Fowler on the topic of climate change.

The 61-year-old has been vocal on the matter in the past, while also remaining reluctant to stay out of any topic he sees fit to discuss. He recently responded to resignations from Boris Johnson's cabinet, for example, while also sharing his opinion on Mick Lynch's appearance on Question Time.

After speaking up about the human response to climate change, Lineker was met with a number of responses, with Fowler among those to chip in. However, the ex-footballer was blunt in his response to the Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

"Terrifying that we’re not doing everything possible immediately to address climate change," Lineker tweeted on Saturday. "A catastrophic mistake."

The post had received more than 300 quote-tweets by midday on Sunday. One of those was from Fowler, who asked "How much are they paying you to push this agenda?".

"What? Not a single penny," was Lineker's response. "The reward would be a future for my children and their children."

Lineker wasn't the only person to respond to Fowler, who won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. "The agenda of science and reality?" was one of the responses.

"It's not an agenda; it's just a simple fact," said another. "We don't do something; we wreck the only home humankind has - if it's not already too late."

The 31-year-old boxer, who also won bronze at the 2013 World Championships, has a 16-2 professional level. His most recent win came in February this year.

Lineker's stance on climate change is nothing new. Last summer, the presenter took aim at a BBC article which suggested there were "positives" to climate change, tweeting