Jake Paul has been urged to move on from his long-term rivalry with Tommy Fury and cancel the fight.
Paul and Fury agreed to a rescheduled fight this summer after the British star withdrew from their previous bout in December with a broken rib. Doubts had previously emerged that the fight wouldn't take place after Fury's father John confirmed neither he or heavyweight champion Tyson would be able to travel to the US.
Fury was handed a 24-hour deadline by Paul but agreed to take the fight and signed his contract. The fight was officially confirmed for August 6 with both men now preparing for the fight. However when attempting to attend a press conference in the US, Fury was stopped from travelling at Heathrow Airport yesterday.
The fight is now in doubt for the second time and UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes it is time to call it a day, tweeting: "Please stop this game of chicken. If Paul offers to take fight to UK there will another reason that pops up. Let the guy slide. This never should have been pursued. It’s mean spirited and feels wrong even by my incredibly low standard."
Fury was initially excited by the opportunity and vowed to permanently "shut up" his rival after weeks of negotiations. However his bid to finally meet Paul was quickly derailed, after revealing he was stopped at the airport during an Instagram video.
He said: "Me and my team arrived at Heathrow Airport ready to fly out and as soon as I entered the airport I was pulled to one side and told by a Homeland Security officer that my ESTA had been denied and that I wasn't able to travel to the USA for a reason I apparently know.
Do you think Jake Paul should fight Tommy Fury? Let us know in the comments section below
"Now I've got to go to the embassy trying to resolve it and I'm in the middle of training. I don't know why this has happened a huge shock to me and my team. It's government issues and it's a lot bigger than the fight right now and I'm trying to get it sorted."
Paul was angered by the news and quickly responded: "Tommy, no matter how hard you try to get out of this fight, I’m going to do everything in my power to not let you weasel your way out. My team and my partners have made it clear the steps you need to take to solve your latest excuse. Take them or admit you're a scared little b****."
It remains unclear if the fight will go ahead but the press conference has now been cancelled with plans to reschedule it if Fury can travel. If Paul is unable to meet Fury this summer, a whole host of other options could be pursued including a bout with UFC legend Anderson Silva and boxing royalty Mike Tyson.
