Tyson Fury has claimed Jake Paul "knows" boxing after being hailed as the best boxer in the world by the YouTube star.
The 'Gypsy King' is undefeated as a heavyweight champion and is known as the lineal and WBC world champion, which he retained when he defeated Dillian Whyte back in April. Fury came close to retiring this year but later made a U-turn and declared he would fight again holding talks with both Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua over potential showdowns.
With the champion yet to be defeated, Fury is ranked very highly in most people's pound-for-pound rankings and will no doubt cement his name at the top if he is to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. However Paul believes that Fury is now at the top of the pile and believes he will not decline before retiring.
"First and foremost Tyson Fury has been the most dominant heavyweight in the division for so long," Paul explained during a statement on Twitter after naming Fury above Usyk in the top position of his pound-for-pound rankings. "He beats every heavyweight by TKO/KO including Usyk.
"And there hasn't been a heavyweight in the sport that hasn't fallen off eventually but Tyson Fury is still on top and I expect him to retire on top. However what Usyk has done from cruiserweight to heavyweight has been impressive and his dominance, versatility and boxing ability is second to none."
Fury has now issued a glowing response on Instagram despite their previous rivalry, writing: "Get up there @JakePaul. This man knows his stuff." Paul and the heavyweight king have clashed on previous occasions particularly during the escalation of Paul's rivalry with Fury's brother Tommy ahead of their two cancelled bouts.
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The pair have traded verbal barbs on social media in the past including when Paul made a $1 million bet with Fury that he would pick up a win when the fights with his brother were set to take place. Despite their rivalry, the 'Gypsy King' has always respected Paul's boxing career, with the praise also reflected the other way.
Despite the fight continuing to threaten to collapse, Fury remains in talks with Joshua for a heavyweight clash with the contract just needing to be signed to seal the deal. And Paul believes Joshua will not be able to dethrone the "unbeatable" Fury despite admitting the fight will be a great spectacle for fans.
“That’s a huge fight,” Paul told talkSPORT. "I have got to go with Tyson Fury man. I really like Anthony Joshua. He’s a dope guy, he inspires me, but Tyson’s just not beatable man, unfortunately. He’s 270lbs, 280lbs sometimes, bouncing up and down in the ring like Muhammad Ali, has an amazing chin that withstood dozens of punches from Deontay Wilder – the hardest puncher in heavyweight history. So, he’s just not beatable I don’t think."
