Tommy Fury’s boxing match with Jake Paul is in doubt after the Briton was denied entry into the US.
Fury, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson, is scheduled to fight YouTube star Paul at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on 6 August.
Fury, 23, was attempting to travel to the US on Monday in order to attend the first pre-fight press conference, but he said in an Instagram video on Tuesday that he had been stopped at Heathrow Airport in London.
“I’m coming here and setting the record straight before anybody else tries to,” Fury said in an Instagram story.
“Me and my team [on Monday] morning arrived at Heathrow airport – ready for the press conference, ready to fly out – and as soon as I entered the airport I got pulled to one side.
“I was told by the homeland security officer that was there that my Esta [Electronic System for Travel Authorisation document] had been denied and I wasn’t able to travel to the USA – for a reason that I apparently know.
“I can stand here and say I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, and I have no clue why I’m not allowed to travel to the USA. I’ve been training for a fight this whole time, you know, and that’s all I’ve been doing.
“I have no clue why they would not allow me to travel, and neither does any of my team or my lawyers. So, now I’m having to go to the embassies and all this sort of stuff, trying to resolve it.
“I’m in the middle of training, guys, I don’t know why this has happened. It’s a massive shock to me and my whole team. Obviously it is a matter that needs to be resolved. It’s government issues, you know, it’s a lot bigger than the fight right now. I’m just trying to get it sorted, but I just wanted to let you all know where it was at.”
Fury shot to fame due to his appearances on British reality television show Love Island in 2019, as well as his association to his brother Tyson.
The younger Fury is 8-0 as a professional boxer and most recently outpointed Daniel Bocianski in April, on the undercard of Tyson’s knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.
Meanwhile, Paul is 5-0 since beginning his pro boxing career and has knocked out each man he has fought.
Most recently the American, 25, stopped former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in Tampa in December.
Woodley, whom Paul previously outpointed last August, was stepping in for Fury, who had withdrawn from his scheduled clash with the YouTuber due to injury and illness.
