TOMMY FURY has been warned he may NEVER again get the chance to fight Jake Paul – missing out on the payday of a lifetime.
The former reality TV star was all set to put unbeaten records and reputations on the line against YouTube sensation Paul.
But Fury, 22, was left devastated after pulling out of the December 18 grudge match with Paul, 24, having suffering a broken rib and chest infection.
As well as the chance to earn bragging rights, a massive fight purse also went to waste for the 7-0 unbeaten Brit.
And Paul’s trainer BJ Flores – a former cruiserweight contender – said not even a career as world champion could have guaranteed the same money.
Flores told SunSport: “I really don’t have any comment on Tommy except he missed out on a massive opportunity, whether he was sick, had bad luck, or whatever it was.
“It’s a massive opportunity and probably one he’ll never get again, that would have been, for sure, the biggest payday of his career.
“Even if he went on to be a champion, it’s very unlikely he would have made that money again, in any fight in his career.”
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In September, Paul offered Fury a flat fee of £1million plus additional pay-per-view bonuses.
And especially with an increased cut in the UK PPV buys, he could have earned well into the millions.
Former UFC champion Michael Bisping, 42, recently claimed Tyron Woodley, 39, was paid around £6m for his loss to Paul in August.
Fury would have been the social media phenomenon’s first opponent with prior professional boxing experience.
In Paul’s first three fights, he beat YouTuber ‘AnEsonGib’, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 37, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, also 37.
But his biggest win to date was against Woodley – the man who has now filled in for Fury.
And coach Flores admitted they could move on entirely from Fury, citing bigger fish to fry instead.
He added: “We’ve got other names on the resume, to be honest with you.
“Other big names on the radar, bigger names than Tommy that are coming up, so I’m not sure.
“And it doesn’t really matter to me, to be honest. Tommy was neither here nor there, I didn’t care whether it was Tommy or not.
“Jake definitely doesn’t need the ‘opportunity’ to fight Tommy, Tommy was the one getting the opportunity more so than Jake.”
Ex-UFC champ Woodley has filled in on under two week’s notice to secure a second crack at Paul.
But Flores promised this time a whole new opponent will be staring across the American MMA veteran in Florida.
He said: “I see a victory, I see a win 100 per cent. I see a fight where Jake’s going to look exponentially better.
“He’s going to be sharper, crisper. He’s going to have a couple of new elements that you’ll see in round one.
“I don’t know what round the knockout will come, I don’t care at all, we’re not in a rush, we’ve got eight rounds to do it.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk