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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Alex Pattle

Tommy Fury says he was ‘heckled in public every day’ before Jake Paul fight

EPA

Tommy Fury has said he was ‘heckled in public every day’ before his victory over Jake Paul.

Fury, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson, beat the YouTube star on points last month in a long-awaited boxing match. The Briton remained unbeaten with the win, while American Paul suffered his first career defeat.

In the ring after the fight, Fury, 23, broke down in tears while revealing the pressure he had felt in the build-up. And speaking on Thursday (9 March), the former Love Island contestant reiterated the mental challenge of preparing to face Paul, 26.

“The fight was pretty much the easy part, believe it or not,” Fury said on Loose Women. “It was just the build-up – three years of constantly getting heckled at in public, going out with your Missus. ‘You’re gonna lose to this guy.’

“It would be every day. This fight was meant to happen twice before. I supposedly backed out twice, I was supposedly running scared and didn’t want to fight.

“Coming through [on fight night] just proved everyone wrong.”

Fury was a split-decision winner against Paul in Saudi Arabia, with a rematch expected to take place later this year.

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