Tommy Fury has confirmed that he is still banned from the United States after opening up on the reasons why a highly-anticipated bout with Jake Paul was pulled this summer. Fury revealed his brother Tyson, the WBC world heavyweight champion, is also barred from entering the country amid months of uncertainty and speculation.
Reports have suggested that the Fury family ban from the US is due to Tyson’s links with Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan. And speaking to an MMA Fighting show, Tommy said that he and Tyson ‘can’t get into America at the minute and that’s the way it is’.
Boxing promoter Kinahan has had sanctions imposed upon him by the US treasury, and the investigation into the mob boss is said to be central to the Fury ban. The ban has meant former Love Island star Tommy was unable to fight Youtuber-turned-prizefighter Paul stateside this summer in a rearranged bout after he was denied access to the country.
“I don’t know,” Fury admitted when directly asked about his ban. “That’s what I pay my lawyers for and my legal team every day, they’re sorting it and I said please get this resolved as soon as possible and that’s where I’ve left it at the moment.
“I’m hoping it gets resolved ASAP because I want to come to America not just for boxing and of course for the big one to get this fight over the line.”
Both Tommy and Tyson have now both been restricted to fights in the UK and the Middle East. Tyson is set to defend his belt in London in December against Derek Chisora. And Tommy has now pleaded with Paul to do battle in front of a huge audience in the UK while his ban from the US is still in place. “I think me and Jake Paul can do 70,000, 100%,” he insisted.
Paul remains unbeaten in pro boxing after overcoming UFC great Anderson Silva in a gruelling battle Arizona on Saturday. But Fury is unimpressed after another Paul’s latest triumph over a fighter without enough experience in the boxing ring.
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“Honestly, I don’t know what to think of it,” he admitted. “I don’t want to be coming across like I just hate Jake Paul and he just can’t fight, but please look at what a 48-year-old (47) man has done with him.
“At the end of that fight, he looked like he’d been in a fight with a WBC light heavyweight champion. He looked gone. He went through the trenches in that fight, he got roughed up and that’s a 48-year-old man. Anderson Silva is not too far of my dad’s age.
He continued: “When Jake Paul steps in with a man who just trains in boxing, especially after seeing him on Saturday, I don’t see Jake Paul beating any average boxer. Even a not that good boxer would beat Jake Paul just purely because they know about the sport.
“No disrespect to Anderson Silva because he’s got big cojones getting in there with a young fresh man at 50. All respect to both men because they got in there and had a good fight. That’s it.”