Tommy Fury has left the fight to clear his travel status in the hands of his legal team.
He’s taken the lead, however, to clear his name against disparaging rumors from any source—including his own family.
The unbeaten light heavyweight remains on the outside looking in as Jake Paul (5-0, 4KOs) moves forward with his career. The two were on course to meet August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, only for Manchester’s Fury (8-0, 4KOs) to learn that his ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authority) document was denied, leaving him unable to travel to the US from the UK for a planned June 29 press conference to formally announce the event.
It was since suggested by John Fury, Tommy’s father and trainer, that his son was as heavy as 231 pounds after returning home from a stateside trip in May. The claim has caused fans and even some media members to further speculate as to why the 23-year-old Fury has withdrawn from a Paul fight for the second time in less than a year, which in turn has prompted the boxer to speak out on the matter.
“Recently on social media, I’ve seen more shit on me than ever,” a shirtless and seemingly supremely conditioned Fury stated in a video posted Sunday morning on his verified social media channels, though not naming his father directly. “I just want to get one thing straight that the reason this fight didn’t take place is because I couldn’t get in the country. It’s not because I wasn’t training or I wasn’t fit. I was ready and raring to go. I was at the airport Monday morning (June 27) with my team ready to fly out and ready to get the show on the road. I could not get into the country and that’s why this fight did not happen.”
As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, Fury was turned away by Homeland Security in London’s Heathrow Airport on June 27, two days ahead of a planned press conference in New York City to formally announce the Showtime Pay-Per-View event. The Brit was urged by Paul, his Most Valuable Promotions’ company and even Fury’s own Hall of Fame promoter, Frank Warren, to sort out the issue with the U.S. Embassy in order to salvage the date.
The matter was never resolved, as Paul moved on to the next in line. The influencer and cruiserweight novice will now face second-generation heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr., who will have to satisfy a series of weight checks for the fight to move forward at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit.
Fury—the younger brother of lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury—has since gone on record to state that the matter is out of his control and being dealt with through his attorneys. What he didn’t expect, however, was to have to walk back claims made by his own family.
In that regard, he felt the need to make clear that the only valid updates regarding his career and life in general, will be delivered personally.
“So, all this bullshit about me not being ready and not training—forget about it,” insisted Fury, who last fought in April on the undercard of his brother’s sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium. “If it’s not coming from me, don’t believe it because it’s not the truth.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
