Tommy Fury warns social media star Jake Paul that his 20m followers will not help him in the ring
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Tommy Fury insists he won’t let the birth of his first child distract him from his preparations for next month’s clash with rival Jake Paul.
“If I don’t put in the effort, I can get embarrassed and knocked out,” the 23-year-old admitted before his meeting with the YouTuber in Saudi Arabia.
Fury spoke on Saturday, a couple of days before it was announced that his partner, Molly-Mae Hague, had given birth to a baby girl.
Molly-Mae Hague welcomed a baby girl with boyfriend Tommy Fury on January 23.
In 2021, Tommy’s half-brother Tyson Fury had to leave his own wife Paris and newborn daughter Athena, who had suffered serious health complications, before his third fight against Deontay Wilder.
‘I don’t mix my private life with my work. This is strictly business for me,” Tommy said. “Tyson is there for any questions he has, we all know boxing is a tough sport and very lonely.”
He added: ‘You can’t help what happens outside the ring, you have to be a fighter and put everything aside and move on.
“This is not football we are playing, there is no substitute to send if I need to go out.” If I don’t put in the work, I can get embarrassed and knocked out. Now I have tunnel vision for this fight.’
The heated rivalry between Jake Paul and Fury will finally come to a head next month
Fury and Paul will finally settle their simmering, and bizarre, rivalry over eight rounds at a 185-pound catchweight in Riyadh. Tommy insists that this crossover fight is just a lucrative springboard to titles in the professional game.
Fury believes that influencers deserve all the success, and all the money they can make, for having the ‘rocks’ to jump between the ropes. But the 23-year-old has warned his rival Paul: no amount of social media following can help when they meet on February 26.
‘I don’t have bad blood towards influential boxers. Everyone has the stones to step into that ring and compete in front of a huge crowd,” Fury said. “A lot of people who hide behind keyboards say a lot of things and then can’t back them up.
The 26-year-old’s fight against Tommy Fury has been confirmed for February 26 in Saudi Arabia.
‘These guys are training, going out in front of big crowds and pitching. Big respect to them, I hope they all win millions of pounds and get the life they’ve always dreamed of. I want success for everyone. There is no jealousy or bad blood in my body.
Unbelievably, even though Paul only started boxing professionally three years ago, the YouTuber is a favorite of some bookies.
He has won all six of his fights, against MMA, YouTube and NBA opponents, with Fury the first fighter in the opposite corner.
“The fact that he has 20 million people following him, backing him to win, has made this a 50-50 fight,” said Fury, who is 8-0 as a professional.
‘But 20 million followers won’t make him fight any better. Since Jake is a social media star, he can apparently fight now. But I’m going to show everyone that he can’t.
The duo parted ways after meeting at the end of Anthony Yarde’s loss to Artur Beterbiev.
Fury added: ‘My next fight is Jake Paul, a social media star, but I’m not a YouTube fighter. I am a true professional wrestler. I turned pro very early and have been doing this for a while.
‘I’m going into this fight and there might be other people I could fight and then I’ll be back on the road for titles, whether it’s English, British, world, hopefully. These are the goals I have in mind.
This fight, live on BT Sport Box Office, represents arguably the perfect picture of modern boxing culture shock.
Paul made a name for himself on social media before he started boxing. Fury was born into a wrestling family before appearing on Love Island. The 23-year-old could make money faster by straddling both worlds.
I am in my own position and I thank God for it. I can work at both ends of the spectrum,” he said. I am a sportsman and professional athlete and I am also a reality TV and social media star. I have it all wrapped up in one.
‘But money is not my God, I have won a lot and I am grateful. But I want to achieve my dream of one day becoming a world champion and I know I have to fight real people for that.
Paul recently defeated UFC icon Anderson Silva in a boxing match to remain undefeated as a professional.
He added: ‘This is just a business for me. It’s just another man in the opposite corner that I have to go through, like a hot knife through butter.
‘Do I care what Jake Paul does every day? No. Will we ever go to the pub for a pint together? Not.
“He’s just a guy I’ll fight in four weeks and I’ll easily get over him.”
Tommy is able to turn to the advice of Tyson and his father, John, who has had his own run-ins with Paul.
In November, they squared off at ringside, with John Fury removing his shirt and attempting to fight the YouTuber himself. ‘Forget my son, I’m the king of the naked man,’ he yelled.
But Tommy revealed: ‘My dad is currently on crutches with a broken ankle, so he’s not going to be jumping over any ropes.
“Hopefully I can heal in the next four weeks, I don’t know. But we are only going to Arabia to do a job and return home safely.
BT Sport Box Office will show Tommy Fury v Jake Paul exclusively live on Saturday 26th February. Learn more at bt.com/sportboxoffice.