Tommy Fury is drawing a line in the sand.
The reality television-star-turned boxer declared on The MMA Hour that YouTubers Jake Paul and KSI — who have generated massive buzz with their combat sports ventures — have to step into the ring with him at some point if they’re serious about pursuing boxing careers. Fury, who is half-brother to Tyson Fury, heavyweight boxing’s king of the heavyweight division, has been linked with Paul twice before.
On November 13, Fury aims to get to 9-0 after he faces Paul Bamba in Abu Dhabi. He doesn’t intend to call anyone out; if anything, he hopes that Paul and KSI will come to him.
“I don’t need to call out Jake Paul for this fight,” Fury said. “I think you put a poll out there, who wants to see me and Jake Paul, it’s 100 percent yes. Everyone wants to see this fight because if Jake Paul and KSI didn’t have to fight me, they wouldn’t. They have to fight me to prove that they are a legitimate boxer. They have to. There is nobody else with my following and my exposure with eight fights in. There’s nobody.
“So if they want to be regarded as a boxer, they have to go through me. The fight between Jake and me is not for sale and I will be taking care of business in the U.K next year.
At the moment, it’s unclear if a third bout between Fury and Paul will materialize and if so, whether it would have to take place outside of the United States. Fury had to pull out of a fight with Paul in August after he was refused a U.S. Visa. This is believed to have been due to Fury’s connections to the Kinahan criminal organization.
Fury was asked about the ongoing investigation, but did not offer any details nor a potential date for when the situation might be resolved.
“I don’t know,” Fury said. Fury said, “That’s why I pay my lawyers and my legal team each day. It’s being sorted and I told them to get it resolved quickly. That’s exactly where it is at the moment. It’s important that it is resolved quickly. I would love to visit America. I want to be able to travel and do boxing. And, of course, the big one, to get this fight over the line, but if it’s not resolved, if it doesn’t get resolved for a long time, I can’t speak on it. It’s unclear how long it will take.
“Let’s say it’s a long time, let’s get it on over here. It doesn’t matter where I fight. I’ll fight that man wherever. It doesn’t bother me. This would be settled if we got there. I’m ready to go. … I don’t need to be called out. You don’t even have to build a fight. You don’t understand the whole story .”
. All those people who have been saying that I ran for these fights?
Fury believes that if a fight were to be held in England, the headlining bout would sell out every venue. Paul fought Anderson Silva in a main card at Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Ariz. on Saturday. He won by unanimous decision.
He is also certain that, given the chance to do so, he would be able to kill two birds with one stone.
“Both at the same time, preferably,” Fury replied when Fury was asked which fighter he would prefer to fight between Paul or KSI. “I haven’t really spoke on the Jake Paul situation much over these recent months, but when you see me get in the ring with one of these guys — I don’t know who is gonna be first, KSI or Jake Paul — you will see the definition of an easy night. You will see why I’ve been saying what I’ve been saying.
” These guys are not able to fight. This is like asking someone to spar at the gym, someone just starting amateur boxing. There’s levels to this game and people have to understand that. Although I am not yet at the highest level of my career, with only eight fights under my belt, and number nine on its way, it is something I have been doing all my life. Had amateur fights, won titles as an amateur, and honestly, it plays a big part and you will see that with whoever I get in the ring with first.”
Fury said that Paul was a step above KSI and recently headlined an evening in which he defeated two boxers.
Fury stated that
“Jake was better than KSI. “I think my mother could knock out KSI in a round. I’m telling you. When I watched him fight them two men, I wasn’t even looking at the two men because they’re useless. He was a good boxer. I looked at him. He cannot fight. There’s some people in this world that are rough and ready, can fight, training, whatever, he can’t fight. I look at KSI and I don’t see a fighter. I see a pretender, he plays FIFA on YouTube, whatever he’s famous for.
” I think that both men are able to see the true colors of these guys when they get sticky in the ring. If they have a straight right hand down the pipe, and their legs are wobbling and shaky, then I will want to know the truth. That will help me see the real colors. However, I see men and can tell if they are good or bad. The moment they do that, they will look for a backdoor, a knee or a way out. That’s what makes me different from them .”
Fury also acknowledged that Paul has improved as a boxer since debuting in 2020. Since then, “The Problem Child”, has won victories over ex-MMA champs Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. Georges St-Pierre, a former UFC fighter, gave Paul a lot of credit after their fight, saying that he was “extremely impressed” by Jake Paul’s performances .”
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Given Paul’s resources, Fury isn’t surprised at Paul’s development, but he needs to see a lot more of him in the ring before making any bold predictions for his career.
“This guy, he’s bound to get better and better because he’s got money to spend on trainers, he’s got money to spend on sparring partners,” Fury said. “If he’s taking it as seriously as he says he’s doing, he should be improving. The improvements may not be very significant, but I’m a former professional boxer and know from my own experience that only by actually getting into fights can you improve your skills as a fighter.
“I believe that Jake Paul was fighting in his sixth bout. He hasn’t had any amateur fights, so he is slowly improving, but it’s going to take a long while for him to get to any level as a boxer because the only way you can get better is by getting in the ring and having those fights. The same goes for me. It’s not possible to be as strong in the gym as you want, but it is different when the lights are on. Everyone would be world champions if we learned the same amount in the gym. You only learn by getting underneath the lights in front of a crowd and having the fights. Although he’s had only six fights so far, I have nothing to say about the man. Although he is getting up there and performing well, I believe he still has a lot to learn .”
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