FLOYD MAYWEATHER’s return to the ring is set to take place on the same date as Jake Paul’s clash with Tommy Fury.
Former five-weight world champion Mayweather will be back in action on February 25 in an exhibition bout with ex-MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers.
But the fight could end up being overshadowed by the battle of social media sensations Paul and Fury.
The pair’s long-awaited grudge match – which has been nearly two years in the making – is on course to take place on the same night in Saudi Arabia.
And given the time difference between the UK and Saudi, the fights could very well take place at near enough the same time.
The only saving grace for Mayweather and Chalmers is that Paul vs Fury is yet to be officially announced.
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But there is seemingly a chance the pair’s Saudi showdown will end up being delayed yet again.
On Wednesday, Paul sparked suggestions the bout could be pushed back with a cryptic tweet about the youngest Fury brother.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer tweeted: “Hold your horses. The man’s having a baby.”
Fury and long-time girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague – who he met on Love Island – are expecting their first child later this month.
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And Fury’s growing family was a big factor in his decision to take the lucrative clash with The Problem Child.
During an appearance on The Disruptors podcast, he said: ” If you want to slap millions of pounds in front of my face to fight Jake Paul, why am I not going to do that?
“I’ve got a family to feed now any day.
“The reason I’ve taken the Jake Paul fight is it’s financially good.
“There is [a part of me that wants to shut him up] but he doesn’t get underneath my skin like that.
“He can’t get underneath my skin because I know what he’s doing.
“He’s a whiz on social media, he’s made a living off being an idiot, arrogant and calling people out.
“It is what it is, but he can’t get underneath my skin.
“All I see with Jake Paul is a business and if you want me to beat a man who can’t fight and throw millions of pounds in my face, not a problem, sign me up and that’s purely what this is.
“I’ve described it all the time as being on Route 66 and I need to stop off in my campervan, fill it up and get back on the road.
“I am on a straight and narrow road to world titles.
“But you want me to take a slight detour for an awful lot of fuel, pick that up and then jump back on the road?
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“That’s exactly what I’m doing here at the end of the day.
“This is a business; you’ve got to use your head and every fighter in my position would take that fight if it got offered to them.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
