JAKE PAUL has told Tommy Fury to be more “realistic” in his terms for a rematch.
Paul, 26, was beaten for the first time in February, losing his celebrity grudge match with Fury, 24, in Saudi Arabia.
In the immediate aftermath and days following, the YouTuber-turned boxer hinted he would exercise his rematch clause.
But after a period of uncertainty, Paul announced that he would instead return against ex-UFC star Nate Diaz, 38.
He has since insisted a rematch with Fury WILL happen down the line – but urged his rival to first check his ego.
Paul said: “Tommy had a big head after the win.
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“So he wants all this money and all of that, which is fine but he needs to be realistic, because he’s not the pay-per-view draw, right?
“If Tommy went and fought this weekend nobody would really be watching.
“And Nate Diaz was there, ready, willing and able and is a way, way, way, way bigger pay-per-view draw than Tommy Fury.
“So from a business perspective it makes a lot more sense.”
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Paul revealed in the build up to fighting Fury that Diaz was his targeted next opponent.
So when the bout presented itself, even following his loss, the American stuck to his initial script.
Ahead of the DAZN PPV fight on August 5, Paul said: “I think Nate Diaz was always the plan.
“I’ve always said – even in the Tommy Fury build up – that I wanted Nate Diaz after Tommy.
“And that really was regardless of the outcome, I’ve always wanted to fight Nate Diaz, so he was always next on my list.
“There’s always a bunch of options and one day you’re like, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that.’
“But I went back to the Nate Diaz idea as like the original plan and he was ready and wiling to make the fight happen and it just made more sense than the Tommy Fury rematch right away.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
