Tommy Fury still hopes to meet Jake Paul inside the ring this year, and believes “The Problem Child” has to reschedule their clash if he’s “serious” about fighting.
Having built an unblemished 4-0 record that included victories over YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson, and former MMA champions Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, Paul was set for his first test against a professional boxer in the form of Fury last month.
However, “TNT” pulled out just weeks before the encounter, citing a broken rib and bacterial chest infection as the reasons for his withdrawal.
In Fury’s place stepped in Woodley, who was looking to exact revenge on Paul for the split-decision loss the YouTuber-turned-boxer handed him last August. In the end, the former UFC welterweight champion ended the fight face down on the canvas, rendered unconscious by a brutal right hand.
While the now-5-0 Paul ponders his next opponent and step in combat sports, Fury looks set to continue pushing for a rescheduled date with the Cleveland native.
Paul Is Still The Fight Fury Wants
Despite claiming he’s targeting titles and killers in the ring this year, Fury has admitted the scale of a matchup with a star like Paul, along with the handsome paycheck, has him keen on putting the fight back together. But with Paul’s focus seemingly being on UFC stars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, it remains to be seen if his wish will be granted.
During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Fury claimed that if Paul doesn’t look to reschedule their match, it will prove he simply isn’t serious about fighting and the sport of boxing.
“My only thing that I wanna get done now is this fight to reschedule,” said Fury. “When somebody gets an injury that is out of their hands, completely out the hands with a broken rib, the first thing that I’d look to do, if I’m serious about fighting and seriously think I could’ve beat that guy, I would have thought, ‘Okay, no problem, you’re out, when can we reschedule?’ I’d wanna reschedule, and I’d want to prove to the world that I can beat a serious boxer, not just another MMA guy.
“That’s what we’re trying to get over at the minute. I know he’s offering (fights) to all kinds of people, but the fact of the matter is, there’s unfinished business here and this fight needs to take place,” added Fury. “How can he be serious about fighting if he’s never fought a boxer before? How can he be serious about this?
“He keeps referring to the UFC, if he wants to go and fight in the UFC, don’t put a pair of boxing gloves on. Don’t call yourself a boxer if you’ve never even fought one.”
In recent days, Jake Paul has actually created an opportunity for his presence in the sport of boxing to dwindle. Taking on Dana White and the UFC’s fighter pay structure, as he often has since stepping into the combat sports limelight, “The Problem Child” laid down a challenge.
He’s offered to enter the USADA testing pool for a fight against Masvidal inside the Octagon, and with it, his retirement from boxing. For that to happen, White must fulfill a number of clauses relating to the pay of UFC athletes and healthcare coverage.
With White’s hatred of Paul meaning the offer is extremely unlikely to be met with a serious response, it stands to reason we’ll be seeing the YouTube star enter the squared circle again in 2022. Tommy Fury will be hoping he’s the one standing opposite Paul when it happens.
Do you think Jake Paul should reschedule his fight with Tommy Fury next?
