Jake Paul said on Wednesday that he will name a new opponent for his next boxing battle on August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Paul was supposed to fight Tommy Fury, the younger half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, but Paul accused Fury of going “into hiding” and claimed Fury had been handed a termination notice:
Jake Paul’s Twitter message:
Jake Paul
@jakepaul
“Fury’s received a termination notice. MVP did everything it could 2 help him & team. He wasn’t interested & he literally went into hiding.
2nd time in a row he has pulled out.
2nd time in a row I’m going to step up & take on a new opponent on short notice. AUG 6. MSG.
📣 tmw”
This is the second time a scheduled bout between Paul and Fury has been canceled, since Fury dropped out due to an injury on December 18.
The second cancellation appears to be the consequence of travel problems that stopped Fury from entering the United States.
Last week, a press conference was arranged at MSG to promote the Paul vs. Fury fight, but Fury was unable to fly from England to the United States.
Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions said in a statement: “Despite many assurances by Tommy Fury’s team that he was able to come to the U.S., and knowing that Tommy was in California just last month, we were surprised to learn that he had an issue at Heathrow Airport on Monday.”
Fury subsequently explained what happened on Instagram on Tuesday, saying (via ESPN):
“So, I just want to come on here and set the record straight before anyone else tries to. Me and my team this morning arrived at Heathrow Airport ready for the press conference, ready to fly out.
“As soon as I entered the airport, I got pulled to one side and I was told by a homeland security officer that was there that my ESTA had been denied and I wasn’t able to travel to the USA for a reason that I apparently know. I can stand here and say I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong and I have no clue why I am not allowed to travel to the USA.”
Fury, who is 8-0 as a boxer, would have been Paul’s hardest challenge yet, since he would have been Paul’s first opponent with actual boxing expertise.
Paul, who was previously renowned as a YouTuber and actor before taking up boxing, has a 5-0 record with four knockout victories.
His victories over YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson, and former UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley have all come in the form of knockouts.
Woodley has faced Paul in each of his last two fights, as he filled in for Fury in the Dec. 18 encounter.
While Paul would not make an official announcement until Thursday, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix claimed on Tuesday that Paul was nearing a contract to face his training partner, Hasim Rahman Jr.
Rahman Jr. is the son of former heavyweight boxing champion Hasim Rahman, who went 50-9-2 in his career, including a victory against Lennox Lewis.