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Despite a second consecutive postponement, Jake Paul stated that he has not ruled out fighting Tommy Fury.
Fury was forced to withdraw from their initially scheduled December fight due to injury. They were supposed to fight in August, but Fury’s failure to obtain a travel visa forced Paul to replace him with Hasim Rahman Jr. on short notice.
“I’m considering [fighting Fury] after Aug. 6, but I want to fight at Madison Square Garden, and the show must go on whether or not Tommy Fury’s in the arena,” Paul told TMZ Sports in an interview published Friday. “I don’t wait for people. I don’t need to wait around. I have a responsibility to my fans to put on shows.”
Paul, on the other hand, is skeptical that Fury will be interested in the long-awaited fight.
The YouTube celebrity told TMZ that his crew attempted to assist the British boxer with his immigration troubles but did not receive a response.
“I don’t buy it,” Paul clearly stated. “I had multiple people hit me up that said, ‘I can get him in. I have connections to people at the embassy. We’ll get him his visa, no problem.’ And I DM’ed Tommy and he just went into hiding.”
Their game had a lot of interest because they both have undefeated records (Fury 8-0, Paul 5-0), despite taking different paths early in their pro careers. A head-to-head bout may have revealed who had more stamina in the ring.
Paul has primarily competed in tournaments designed for social media, defeating fellow YouTuber Ali “AnEsonGib” Al-Fakri, former NBA player Nate Robinson, and former MMA fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
Fury has taken a more conventional approach, defeating a number of lesser-known classically trained fighters, most recently Daniel Bocianski in April.
Meanwhile, Paul must get ready to face Rahman, the son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman.
The 31-year-old Baltimore native is coming off his first professional setback, a knockout loss to James McKenzie Morrison in April. He came into the battle with a 12-0 record.
Paul stated that his manager, Nakisa Bidarian, and brother, Logan Paul, both advised him not to take on Rahman with only a month to prepare.
“And I was just like, ‘Yo, I’m built different.’ I really want to do this,” Paul told TMZ. “I want to prove to the world that I can knock out a professional boxer no matter how good he, or she is, or anyone. I’ll knock out anyone.”
The fight will take place on August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
