Jake Paul claimed he had been ill during his training camp for his ultimate defeat by Tommy Fury.
Paul dropped Fury in the final round of their grudge fight but was on the wrong end of a split-decision defeat in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night. Both men had a point deducted by the referee before two judges gave the nod to underdog Fury.
And Paul, who now plans to activate his rematch clause, revealed he had struggled during his preparations. “Honestly, I felt flat. I got sick really bad twice in this camp, injured my arm, so it wasn’t my best performance," he said before immediately insisting he was beaten by the better man.
“But I lost - I’m not making excuses. I’m just saying, it wasn’t my best performance, I felt a little flat and like I said, we’re going to come back and get that W," he added. "Don’t judge me by my wins, judge my by my losses - I’m going to come back stronger.”
Paul was the only fighter who had a rematch clause and could take on Fury for a second time in the UK. “I’ll come back. I think we deserve that rematch. It was a great fight, a close fight," he added. “I don’t know if I agree with the judges. I got a 10-8 round twice, so it is what it is. This is boxing.
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“Look, I’ve already won in life man, I’ve already won in every single way. I have an amazing family, amazing friends, amazing work ethic and I’ve made further than I ever thought that I would and beyond. This is definitely a humbling experience. I’ll take it on the chin, get back in the gym and we can run it back because I think we put on an amazing show for the fans tonight."
Fury, meanwhile, broke down in tears after the fight as he said: "For the past two and a half years this is all that has consumed my life. Everyone thought I was running scared but I made my own legacy. All the way through I had a vision I would win this fight and no-one would believe me. I had the pressure of the world on my shoulders but I came through. This was my world title fight, this was my destiny and my fate."
