Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
George Flood

Tommy Fury hits back in latest Jake Paul row and insists August 6 fight IS going ahead

Fight on: Tommy Fury is due to finally fight Jake Paul on August 6

(Picture: Getty Images)

Tommy Fury insists his fight against Jake Paul will be taking place on August 6 as planned, hitting back at accusations that he has withdrawn from the contest again.

The bitter rivals have long since been in talks over rearranging their high-profile bout, which was initially due to take place in Tampa, Florida on December 18, 2021.

However, Fury was forced to withdraw on that occasion after suffering a severe chest infection and broken rib in the build-up, with Paul instead facing former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for the second time in four months and winning again with an emphatic sixth-round knockout.

Fury, meanwhile, made his return to the ring on the undercard of older half-brother Tyson’s latest WBC heavyweight title defence against Dillian Whyte in April, outpointing Daniel Bocianski over six rounds at Wembley Stadium.

Negotiations over reviving the fight have been focused on this summer, with August 6 emerging as the agreed date and a press conference in New York supposedly scheduled for next week.

However, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul released a furious, expletive-laden social media video on Wednesday claiming that Fury was once again withdrawing from the fight despite being granted a number of concessions, including $2million purse, due to his father not being able to attend.

A previous criminal conviction means John Fury is currently banned from entering the United States.

The angry post from Paul was captioned: “Tommy Fury and boxers like him are the reason this sport started to die. Tommy, you have 24 hours to fix this.”

However, the former Love Island star has now publicly hit back at his rival once again as the barbs continue to fly in both directions, claiming the contest is very much still on and accusing Paul of dragging his feet due to a reluctance to sign up to voluntary drug testing.

“Just to let you all know, the fight on August 6 is going ahead,” Fury said in a short video clip posted to his Instagram account on Thursday morning.

“The contract has been signed after weeks and weeks of waiting for Jake Paul to sign up to the drug testing and potentially putting the fight at risk.

“He’s finally signed up to the drug testing, we’ve agreed a contract that we are happy with so the fight is going ahead and I’ll see you on August 6.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.