Has Tommy Fury missed his chance to fight Jake Paul?

By Jack Lacey-Hatton

It was supposed to be one of the biggest fights of the year. A very public, modern, online feud finally coming to a head in the ring.

Tommy Fury, half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson, was set to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Tampa, Florida, this Saturday night.

But on December 6 came the news that no-one, certainly not the broadcasters, wanted. Fury pulled out of the match as he was struggling for fitness.

Later it was revealed a broken rib and a chest infection meant anything other than a late withdrawal was impossible.

If missing out on the biggest fight of his career wasn’t already a huge blow to the Manchester-born boxer, noises from the Paul camp indicate things may be about to get even worse for him.

Any hope of the bout being rescheduled appear to be in tatters, so has Tommy Fury missed his only chance to fight Jake Paul?

Yes

Paul’s rise from YouTuber to boxer is astounding, but regardless of what the sport’s public think of him as a legitimate competitor, there can be no doubt about the incredible commercial value in every one of his fights.

In spite of the much publicised online spat between the two fighters, the American doesn’t need to wait around for Tommy Fury to secure another big boxing payday.

Even though the Fury team had been hoping they could reorganise after the original fight was cancelled, there is little motivation to do so for Paul.

He is already moving onto the next chapter of his fledging story and will instead face Tyron Woodley in a rematch from the summer (which ended on a split decision) who has stepped in as a replacement for Fury on Saturday.

And Paul’s trainer BJ Flores has confirmed they will be taking on another fight after this weekend’s bout.

Flores said that he thought Fury would pull-out throughout the preparation to the fight and that the rest of the camp were also doubtful the Englishman would make it to Tampa.

The fact they have been proved right now confirms their suspicions were bang on the money, and in Paul’s potentially short boxing lifespan, they can’t afford to waste time on potential no-shows.

Pulling out just two weeks before means Fury cannot now be trusted to step into the ring, and as such you have to doubt whether he will get this potentially career-defining opportunity again.

No

You only need to remember one simple saying watching boxing in 2021 – never say never.

This is a sport which in the last six years has seen Pacquiao and Mayweather finally meet when it

looked impossible, UFC stars crossover from the octagon into the ring, and social-media stars earning millions from fighting each other.

Money talks and if enough is on the table the Paul team will definitely be interested in getting this fight back on the road.

Also the withdrawal is still so fresh in the memory, with the anger from the American camp still raw, that it is no surprise to see Paul telling showtime that Fury “had his shot.”

In reality, the pair’s social media back-and-forth, if slightly tedious, is crucial to the rivalry and as long that maintains interest new fans will be brought to the sport of boxing.

Fury understands that his own large social media following is the biggest weapon in his arsenal compared to other fighters at his level, and as long as he maintains that he has every chance of staying in the mix to fight Paul.

It’s also not as if boxing doesn’t have a recent history of fighters managing to overcome late pull-outs and get their careers back on track fairly quickly.

In the world of YouTuber boxing nothing can be ruled out.

As such it would be wrong to say the ship has sailed on Fury’s chances of getting this stateside mega-fight to take place, even if it’s a year or so down the line.

photo credit: Getty Images