Tommy Fury admits ‘my world fell apart’ after pulling out of lucrative Jake Paul fight

Tommy Fury, the British boxing star, has revealed in his memoir what life was like for him after pulling out of the clash with ‘The Problem Child’ back in 2021

Tommy Fury has not fought for nearly a year since beating KSI last November (
Image: Getty Images)

British boxer Tommy Fury has opened up on the abuse he suffered after pulling out of his showdown with Jake Paul back in 2021.

The 25-year-old revealed that his ‘whole world felt apart’ after putting in countless hours of training for the clash with the YouTuber-turned-boxer. Fury divulged into a number of topics following the release of his memoir, Lightning Can Strike Twice: My Life as a Fury – just two months after his split from Molly-Mae Hague.

It was confirmed back in 2021 that the young boxer would fight ‘The Problem Child’ in December of that year, providing he beat the American’s training partner, former MMA fighter – Anthony Taylor. After winning the bout via unanimous decision, it looked as if both Fury and Paul would go head-to-head after many months of trading barbs on social media.

However, just weeks before the clash, Fury was forced to pull out after suffering with “a severe chest infection and a broken rib”. He said: “I am absolutely heartbroken that I have been forced to withdraw from my fight with Jake Paul. The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18. I can’t express how disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the New Year, I want this fight to still happen more than anything. I’m now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date.”

Following the release of his memoir, Fury has revealed what life was like after pulling out. “My whole world felt apart,” he wrote. “I was this kid from Salford with no money and a big dream. I may have done well financially after Love Island, but the fee I would have earned from this fight was something else.”

He added: “I didn’t think it could get much worse, but once the news of the fight cancellation hit the press, everything kicked off. I received a torrent of online abuse, my accusers saying I was ‘scared of a YouTuber,’ ‘not a Fury’, ‘a fake fighter’, ’embarrassing my family’, and much worse.”

Molly-Mae was by his side and wanted to do everything she could to help Fury. However, his mindset was ‘shot’. The Brit said that he felt himself slipping into a bad place and there was nothing that Molly-Mae could do to pull him out of it.

The abuse that was aimed towards the boxer was that brutal, he claims he rarely left the house. “I came off social media and I rarely went out in public because I would get heckled in the street,” he continued. “When I did leave the house, all those things were said in person, to my face. I’m not sure how people would have the audacity to do this, but they do. While it was a red rag to a bull, there was nothing I could do about it.”

Following the cancellation of the highly-anticipated bout, Fury and Paul finally settled their beef back in 2023. The Brit won via split decision against the American in a back and forth encounter in Saudi Arabia. After getting his hand raised, ‘TNT’ claimed that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “Everything flashed before my eyes,” he added. “The broken ribs, being denied access to the States, the online abuse, depression, drinking, hard graft, not being around enough for Molly and leaving my new baby – and, in that moment, it all paid off.”