Fury Explains Reasons Behind Withdrawal From Paul Fight

Tommy Fury was forced to withdraw from his scheduled boxing match against Youtube sensation-turned boxer, Jake Paul, which was set to go down on Dec. 18, 2021 inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. While a reason for Fury’s looming absence wasn’t initially available, he set the record straight in a statement shortly after the news broke.

Fury issued a statement to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani revealing that he was suffering from multiple medical issues, including a bacterial chest infection and a broken rib.

“I am absolutely heartbroken that I have been forced to withdraw from my fight with Jake Paul due to a bacterial chest infection and broken rib,” he said. “The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18th.

“I can’t express how disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year, I want this fight to still happen more than anything. I’m now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date.”

Despite the unfortunate news, the event will still go on after Tyron Woodley agreed to step in and take the rematch on short notice. Paul defeated Woodley in their first fight back on Aug. 29 via unanimous decision.

After the fight, Woodley demanded a rematch, which Paul was reluctant to give him. After coming to an agreement that he would give “The Chosen One” another shot if he got an “I Love Jake Paul” tattoo on his leg, “The Problem Child” eventually still moved on to Fury.

In the end, Woodley got what he wanted, a chance to avenge the loss along with another big payday. His purse will get even bigger if he knocks Paul out because the social media star vowed to give the former UFC welterweight champion an extra $500,000 if he somehow manages to clean his clock.

Stay tuned.