Jake Paul vows to make Tommy Fury ‘hate boxing’ after long-awaited fight

Jake Paul has insisted Tommy Fury will “hate” boxing after their long-awaited fight on February 26 if the fight resumes after two previous cancellations.

Fury, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson, was set to box YouTuber Paul in December 2021 but pulled out citing injuries and illness. The competition was postponed to August 2022 but fell through again as Fury struggled with travel issues preventing him from reaching the US where the fight was set to take place.

However, the match-up has now been announced for the third time, with Briton Fury and American Paul set to meet in Saudi Arabia on February 26.

“I don’t hate the kid, I don’t think he’s a bad person,” Paul told the Daily Mail of Fury. “I think he’s just caught up in the wrong lifestyle and doesn’t really know who he is. He’s like a lost puppy trying to make sense of his life.

“That’s what I think is happening. I think he thinks he loves this sport and all the fame. It was fun [for him]beating those cab drivers, but he’s going to hate this sport after February 26.”

Paul, 26, is a professional boxer with 6-0 and four KO victories. The American has beaten former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley – beating the latter twice – but his meeting with Fury, 23, marks Paul’s first fight against a professional boxer.

Fury is 8-0 (4 KOs) and last competed in April, overtaking Daniel Bocianski. Meanwhile, Paul’s last win – his win over 47-year-old Silva – came in October.

Fury’s brother Tyson and father John have made clear their expectations that the former Love Island contestant will beat Paul, suggesting the 23-year-old may have to retire from boxing or change his name if he loses.

“He has a lot of weight on his shoulders,” Paul said. “I can’t even imagine if my father or brother said something like that, but I guess he was always kind of the midget.

Tommy Fury has not fought since April last year (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive)

“That does not surprise me [that some people see Fury as the underdog], because I think the real people in the sport who see through all the bells and whistles understand what’s going to happen. But it’s funny because he’s been boxing since he was 12 and I’ve been a pro for two years and 364 days.”

Paul also commented on Fury’s partner Molly-Mae Hague’s pregnancy, saying: “It’s a bit bizarre. Two of [Fury’s] greatest moments of life here in a very short time… I’ve told my friends: I don’t know how he’s going to deal with it mentally.

“If I had a kid I wouldn’t want to show up at the gym, so I think it’s going to be a distraction for him.”