Why did Tommy Fury pull out of Jake Paul fight? Health explained - and how did Jake Paul respond on Twitter

Boxer Tommy Fury has officially withdrawn from his match against YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul due to “a severe chest infection and broken rib”.

The boxing match between Fury and Jake was one of the most anticipated fights of the year, following Paul’s win against Tyron Woodley and Fury’s against Anthony Taylor.

This is everything you need to know about what happened - and who will be facing off against Paul instead of Fury for the 18 December fight.

Why has Tommy Fury withdrawn from the match?

Fury has cited medical reasons for pulling out of the match.

In a statement released via promoter Frank Warren, Fury said: “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.

“The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in the 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 happen more than anything.

“I’m now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date.”

Warren also added: “We are gutted for Tommy. This was a big opportunity for him to show the world what he can do. Unfortunately he’s had to withdraw now he’s clearly not anywhere near a hundred per cent.

“We’ll be working with Jake Paul’s team to see if we can reschedule for the new year.”

What did Tommy Fury say on Instagram?

Fury later posted on his Instagram to clarify the situation in a video captioned: “A message to clear things up.

“I am asking for a reschedule date, I’m not backing away from this fight.

“Thank you to the people that support me on this journey… the whole world wants to see this fight and I’m hopeful that we can make it happen in the new year.”

In the video, Fury said: “Training camp couldn’t have gone better for me for the first two weeks, but then I contracted a bacterial chest infection which let me go to the gym and just not being able to breathe, in my sparring sessions, padwork sessions, and coughing up huge amounts of phlegm all the time.

“It led me to sleepless nights, and that went on for about four weeks cause I had the mindset of “I’m gonna keep training, I’m gonna get through this, I’m going to fight no matter what”.

“Four weeks passed and we decided to have a sparring session and I took a little clip to the body and because my body was so weak due to the virus inside of me, I instantly knew something wasn’t right.

“I was throwing up from the pain, I was doubled over, I literally got my bag and went straight to the hospital.”

Fury explains in the video that upon going to the hospital, it was discovered that he had sustained a broken rib as well as multiple fractures.

He says that despite the situation he still wanted to fight, however it was the insistence of doctors and his team that convinced him that he couldn’t go ahead with the match.

What has Jake Paul said?

Paul has heavily criticised the former Love Island star for bailing on the match.

He said: “For the Furys, it’s an embarrassment.

“[The Furys] said: “We’d fight Jake with a broken rib, with our arms tied behind our backs”.

“When it came down to fighting, they pulled out.”

Paul also took to Twitter to call out Fury and update fans about the change in plans.

He posted a video, captioned: “Tommy Fury has pulled out of the fight due to a “medical condition” and Tyron Woodley is stepping in for December 18th for the official rematch.”

In the video, Paul said: “It is official, Tommy Fury is boxing’s biggest b**ch, he has pulled out of the fight, the Fury’s have pulled out of the fight, due to a “medical condition”, who knows what the f**k is going on in that camp.”

Paul goes on to say that Fury “fumbled the biggest bag of his life”.

He continued: “I’ve fought with a broken nose, I’ve fought sick, get the f**k over it, this is boxing.

“It’s official, he was scared. I think the pressure got to him, the s**t talk got to him.”

Who is replacing Tommy Fury in the fight?

In his Twitter video, Paul confirmed that instead of fighting Fury, the 18 December match will now be a rematch against Tyron Woodley, who Paul fought back in August and won via split decision over the course of eight rounds.

Woodley is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who held onto the title for almost three years before losing it in 2019.

Paul said: “The good news is that Mr Tyron Woodley, we called him up and we were like “you want to take the fight?” and he said he’d take the fight and do the rematch.”

Paul said that he failed to knock Woodley out last time, so that is his main goal for the rematch.

He also added that he will give Woodley an extra $500,000 if Woodley can knock him out.

If Woodley does win against Paul, it will be the first loss in the YouTuber turned boxer’s boxing career.

Will there be a new match set for Tommy Fury and Jake Paul?

In his Instagram video, Fury said that there was no other match he wanted to fight and that it’s the one against Paul that he is determined to be his next fight.

While he said that he hoped there would be a rescheduled fight in 2022, Paul has expressed concerns about rearranging the match.

When asked if Fury’s withdrawal from the match gave him doubts in regards to setting a new fight date, Paul said: “It does. He didn’t show up to a press conference and now he’s pulled out of the fight.

“He has done a terrible job of promoting the fight. He isn’t as hype as everyone thought.

“I don’t like them. I don’t like anything to do with the family. They are sketchy, they are shady.

“I don’t see any reason to come back next year and give him a payday.

“It would be more fun to leave him in the dust.”

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