TOMMY FURY believes a grudge match with Jake Paul gives the YouTuber the chance to legitimise himself and sell out a 70,000-seat stadium.
The celebrity boxing rivals have TWICE signed to fight but both times Fury was forced to pull out.
A rib injury in December was soon followed by a US visa issue in August, leaving their business unsettled.
And Fury confirmed his travel ban in America still stands, meaning Paul would have to come abroad for the bout.
But his British rival reckons they have the joint pulling power to pack out a stadium in the UK.
Fury said on The MMA Hour: “I don’t believe that there’s anybody in this country that wouldn’t come to this fight.
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“I think over here that would break all records because Jake is very popular over here.
“You know, my popularity lies here in the UK. So yeah, I think definitely we could definitely draw 70,000 for that.”
Paul, 25, improved to 6-0 over the weekend by beating UFC legend Anderson Silva, 47, on points over eight rounds.
It was the social media star-turned prizefighter’s biggest win to date and against his first opponent with prior pro boxing experience.
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Fury, 23, admitted Paul is a better boxer than YouTube nemesis KSI, 29, but said both have to fight him in order to gain any sort of recognition.
He said: “If Jake Paul and KSI didn’t have to fight me, they wouldn’t. They have to fight me to prove that they are legitimate boxers.
“They have to. There is nobody else with my following and my exposure with eight fights in, there’s nobody.
“If they wanna be regarded as boxers, they have to go through me.
“This fight between me and Jake does not need selling and I will definitely, definitely take care of business next year.
“Whether that’s in America or the UK.”
Paul confirmed he is willing to reschedule with Fury for a third time, but only if they are willing to front the money for it.
He said: “There’s definitely interest. I think if his team are taking the financial risk and putting the event on, then I’m cool with that.
“I just don’t want to take the risk anymore because I think he’s going to back out, again, most likely.
“But it’s an easy fight for me, like way easier than Anderson. The kid’s a novice, he’s never fought anyone good.
“He’s never even fought an eight-round fight, so he just doesn’t have the experience like I do, which is crazy to say because he’s been doing it his whole life.
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“But people call him a “professional boxer” and they respect him as a professional boxer, so yeah, I’d love to strip that title from him.
“I wouldn’t even have to actually train for that fight. I would still train, because I’m a professional, but I wouldn’t have to train to fight him.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
