Tommy Fury has urged his fellow fighters to leave ‘legends of the sport’ in the history books after it was announced that Jake Paul had agreed to step into the ring with heavyweight icon Mike Tyson.
The boxing world was rocked on Thursday afternoon as it was revealed that Tyson, 57, would be colliding with YouTube sensation Paul, 27, on July 20 at Texas’ 80,000-seater AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
It comes after Tyson, one of the most revered and notorious heavyweights in the sport’s history, came out of retirement to take on fellow boxing great Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition – billed as ‘Lockdown Knockdown’ – back in November 2020.
Given the 30-year age difference between the two fighters, safety concerns have been raised and KSI has blasted his bitter rival Paul for accepting the offer, branding the impending bout ‘sad to see’ and a spectacle that nobody wants.
Former Love Island contestant Tommy Fury, meanwhile, the half-brother of heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, has said that the upcoming showdown, set to be streamed live on Netflix, is not a fight that ‘floats his boat’.
Asked for his reaction to Thursday’s shock announcement, Fury told Boxing King Media: ‘I mean, I haven’t really got one, to be honest.
‘The guy is nearly 60. He’s probably the biggest name in boxing that there was, but the man is also 60.
‘I don’t know what kind of condition he is in. I know he looks great but you never really know.
‘A 26-year-old against a 60-year-old, I don’t know… it doesn’t float my boat. Like I say, Jake Paul’s doing what Jake Paul’s doing and I’m in the recovery process.
‘That’s it, that’s all I’ve really got to say on it. Nothing much, nothing more or less, to be honest. It is what it is.’
It remains to be seen whether Paul’s coming together with Tyson will be fought under professional boxing rules or, rather, as an exhibition, as was the case when Iron Mike took on Jones Jr four years ago.
‘They’ll both dance around for a little bit and that’s it,’ Fury added.
‘The final bell will go, they get paid, move on. That’s all that it will be.’
Quizzed on lingering rumours of a potential fight with Jones Jr, Fury replied: ‘Ah, I don’t know. It’s not really my thing.
‘I want an actual competitive, scored fight. I don’t really want to do the exhibitions and all that sort of stuff. I want to fight against people my own age with an ambition to win.
‘These guys are icons, legends of the sport. Let’s leave them where they are.
‘Listen, it is what it is. I’m sure everybody is going to tune in, they’re both going to make a lot of money, so good luck to them.’
Fury – who got the better of KSI in his last bout -would welcome the prospect of reigniting his rivalry with Paul after overcoming the YouTuber at Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Arena last February.
Asked who he would prefer to fight out of Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSI, Fury replied: ‘I’d fight Jake because he’s the best out of all of them and he comes to fight, doesn’t he?
‘Anyone who comes to fight against me makes it a more entertaining fight. KSI never came to fight, absolute stinkfest.
‘Logan, well he doesn’t want to fight at all. But other than that, I’m in the driving seat.
‘I beat both of them in the same year so all doors lead to me in that side of the business.
‘They can do what they want. I’m sitting pretty at the top of the hill.’
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