The Jake Paul-Tommy Fury boxing match is officially off, for a second time. Paul does not sound pleased.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer confirmed via Twitter on Wednesday that Fury had received a termination notice for their bout and claimed his erstwhile opponent “literally went into hiding.”
Paul confirmed he still planned to fight in his Aug. 6 event at Madison Square Garden, co-headlined by an Amanda Serrano match, but he will have to find an opponent on short notice. He indicated an announcement was coming Thursday.
Fury, half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, had been scheduled to face Paul at that Aug. 6 event, but he was denied entry into the US by Homeland Security, reportedly over his ties to alleged mob boss Daniel Kinahan. Paul took that opportunity to accuse Fury, who holds an 8-0 record, of trying to “weasel” out of the fight, and it appears he’s sticking with that narrative.
Fury posted a statement on his Instagram story lamenting his inability to enter the US and offered to fight Paul either in a neutral country or after his immigration issue is resolved:
I’m gutted and disappointed in regards to the issues I have faced with entry into the USA. This is something that myself or my team could have never anticipated happening. This situation has been left with my lawyers as being denied entry to a country is obviously a very serious issue and it needs to subsequently be resolved.
I am confident this fight will happen when this issue gets resolved and we come to a solution. I want to clarify that I will fight in a neutral country that both parties can enter. This can be any time, any place, any where.
Paul is coming off a rematch win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley last December, which improved his professional record to 5-0. His wins have been mostly impressive, but he has yet to face a person with the word “boxer” in the first sentence of their Wikipedia page.
That may continue in August, as there is plenty of smoke around the UFC’s Nate Diaz as an opponent.