Tommy Fury has rejected Jake Paul's $500,000 offer for a UK fight after once again being forced out of a clash with the YouTuber.
Fury was set to face Paul on December 18 of last year, but was forced out of that fight with a rib injury and replaced by Tyron Woodley. The pair had rescheduled their clash for August 6 at Madison Square Garden, but a travel ban has cost Fury a huge payday and a pay-per-view headline fight.
Paul opted, however, to throw his rival one last lifeline, as long as he was willing to take a 75 per cent pay cut in order for the fight to be held in the UK. The Brit was set to earn $2million to face Paul at the iconic New York venue, but the YouTuber has previously insisted that pay-per-view sales and sponsorship income would be dramatically lower if the bout took place in the UK.
Paul tweeted out his offer, saying: "I’m confident you are a scared little boy who doesn’t want to fight or understand business. I will pay you $500K to fight me in the UK. I will do it shortly after August 6. You accept?" Fury hit back with a post of his own, telling the YouTuber: "I wouldn’t get out of bed to fight you for $500k. Let me know when you’re ready to have a serious conversation."
Paul is set to instead face Hasim Rahman Jr at Madison Square Garden, after promising fans the Fury fight would be his first test against a legitimate boxer. Rahman, whose dad of the same name is a legendary former world heavyweight champion, has a 12-1 record to Fury's 8-0, including three opponents with winning records over Fury's two.
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But despite Rahman being a considerably tougher challenge as a heavyweight with a much more extensive amateur background, the fight will likely draw considerably lower numbers than one against Fury. The Brit's following on social media after his 2019 stint in the Love Island villa numbers in the millions, while Rahman's is in the thousands.
Fury burst to fame and earned a massive following from his stint on reality TV, where he met model girlfriend Molly Mae Hague. He has since gone on to put together an undefeated fighting record, but is often compared with his brother Tyson who is the world heavyweight champion and renowned as one of the greats in the sport.
Meanwhile, Paul achieved his early fame as a social media influencer on Vine and YouTube, as well as starring on Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. He pivoted to boxing with a white collar bout against British YouTuber Deji in August 2018 and turned professional in 2020, where he is now 5-0 having stopped his four opponents.
