The bitter war of words between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will soon be settled inside a boxing ring. YouTuber Paul and Fury, the younger brother of heavyweight Tyson, have become embroiled in verbal sparring throughout 2021, and in August clashed backstage after both had recorded wins on a show in Cleveland.
On that night, Paul had outpointed former UFC star Tyron Woodley in the main event to make it four wins from four in professional boxing, after previous wins over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, professional basketball player Nate Robinson and another ex-UFC fighter in Ben Askren.
On the undercard, Fury had taken a unanimous decision against Anthony Taylor to take his own unbeaten record to 7-0.
The fracas backstage ramped up speculation on a bout between the pair, although Fury’s hopes of an immediate clash looked hindered by the likelihood of a rematch between Paul and Woodley.
However, on Tuesday night Michael Benson, Online Boxing Editor for talkSPORT, tweeted that a deal for the pair to fight in 2021 was drawing near – with the news coming via IFL TV.
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“Frank Warren has said he is hoping to finalise Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury this week for November/December [@IFLTV],” said Benson.
It prompted a mixed reaction from fans, with many seemingly intrigued by the prospect of Paul, 24, finally facing an actual full-time boxer.
Others however, were cynical about the prospect, saying Fury, 22, would find his career already in ruins were he to lose to ‘The Problem Child’ – and plenty were savage about the fight’s appeal.
Tyson Fury however, who on Saturday won a classic heavyweight bout with Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas, has urged his sibling to take the fight, although warned him he needs to change his name if he loses.
“If Tommy can’t splatter Jake Paul, I’ll retire him from boxing myself. If he can’t beat Jake Paul, forget about boxing,” he told Boxing Social.
“Because he’s got ambitions of being a world champion, never mind beating some YouTube guy. But it’s a great fight for the social media world and for all the kids out there who support them both.
“It’s a great fight to watch, it’s a spectacle. But Tommy – his name’s Fury. If he can’t beat Jake Paul, I’ll have to change his name.”
Tommy Fury himself recently revealed to turning down two offers from Paul, claiming they were “not even worth getting out of bed for.”