Tony Bellew believes Tommy Fury is chasing a fight with KSI or Jake Paul in order to make his money and run.
Fury has won each of his eight professional fights but has rarely been tested in the ring. He was twice due to face YouTube star Paul but pulled out on both occasions; first when he fractured a rib in training and again last month when he was refused permission to fly to America.
The 23-year-old has also been chasing a fight with social media star KSI who returned to the ring last weekend with two victories in one night against atrocious opponents in rapper Swarmz and journeyman Luis Pineda. And Bellew doubts Fury is good enough to win a British title and that he will cash out when he secures a fight with an influencer.
"At the start of his career, I was led to believe that Tommy was a serious prospect who had big aspirations to go far in the sport," Bellew wrote in his column for DAZN. "After watching his first few fights and seeing how desperate he is to secure a fight with these YouTube guys, it’s clear to me that he’s not motivated by winning titles. It’s all about cashing out with fights against the likes of KSI and Jake Paul.
"To be fair to Tommy, it’s probably the best move considering his ability. I’ll go on record and say that I don’t think he has what it takes to win a British title. It’s stacked domestically at light heavyweight, and you’ve got to go a long way down the rankings before you could find a boxer who you’d fancy Tommy to have success against. His current direction is probably best for business."
Fury would point to a lack of amateur experience as a reason for the level of opposition he has faced so far in the paid ranks. But Bellew has already written off his hopes of coming anywhere close to upholding the family name.
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"He arrived in boxing with a brilliant family name accompanying him and that was always going to put him under scrutiny, but any hopes of emulating Tyson or Hughie are gone," he added. "Tommy found success in the celebrity world and that’s the path he’s going to stay on as he looks to secure big paydays. He’s basically doing a bank job on boxing and that’s fine.
"The next few years of his career are going to be very lucrative, and they’ll include fights against Jake Paul, KSI, a load of former MMA stars, and whoever else joins this version of boxing. This wasn’t the plan when Tommy first turned over, but I think he’s realised just how hard this sport can be and there’s easier ways to make a few quid without the risk of getting seriously hurt. "
