Influencers

TOMMY FURY has spoken out on who he could fight next having been called out by a world champion and YouTube stars. Fury this year beat Jake Paul and KSI in huge crossover events to emerge as a star in the influencer boxing scene.
Tommy Fury beat KSI on pointsCredit: Splash
But he was also challenged by IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia who vowed to “beat the c**p” out of the former Love Islander.
It comes after Paul, 26, called for a rematch with Fury while his brother Logan, 28, also wants to face the 10-0 Brit.
So Fury, 24, has been left with a decision to make on whether to return to traditional boxing or continue with lucrative crossover bouts.
And he told the Daily Mail: “I don’t recall this happening before, where champions are wanting to fight people that are right at the bottom of the pecking order.
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“I’m just happy to be in this position, obviously we all know why he would take that fight but I am going to make the most off of the crossover scene while it is here.”
Fury insisted that he one day wants to challenge for a world title but will make the most of crossover bouts while he can.
He said: “Let’s not beat around the bush, it’s a lot better financially than conventional boxing, the money that these fights are generating, conventional boxers will never see in their careers.
“I’m sure Jai Opetaia can box and win all the belts, but it wouldn’t accumulate to a fraction of what these crossover fights can generate.
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“So, I’m definitely going to make the most of it whilst it is here, but at the end of the day the plan will always be to challenge for that top strap.
“I wouldn’t feel right in myself, leaving the sport, if I had not challenged or even tried to win the world title and I do believe that I will win one because I have seen far worse people win one.
“I’m going to make the most off of the crossover scene and when all that is said and done, I will challenge the top boys and we will see how we go.”
Jai Opetaia called out Tommy FuryCredit: Reuters
Jake Paul wants to rematch Tommy FuryCredit: Getty More

KSI has brutally mocked Jake Paul after he announced his next boxing opponent.Paul announced on Wednesday that he is set to take on little-known professional boxer Andre August on December 15.
Jake Paul has announced that he will take on Andre August in DecemberCredit: Reuters
KSI mocked Paul’s decision to take on the little-known boxerCredit: Getty
This came as somewhat of a surprise given that August, 35, has fought just once since 2019, and that he has yet to face any big names.
And it seems KSI, another YouTuber turned boxer, was underwhelmed with the news.
The 30-year-old retweeted Paul’s announcement along with a photo of someone trying to pour gas into a bicycle along with the caption “He tryna gas it up.”
Fans clearly felt the same, as they flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make their feelings clear.
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One such fan said: “Another rigged fight yay.”
Another said: “Andre August is 35 years old with a 10-1-1 record. He’s fought 1 time in the last 4 years. Another pretend, old boxer.”
While a third predicted: “Your L is coming.”
But tired of the doubters, Paul had fired back with a bold statement, via Ariel Helwani.
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Paul said: “I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion, so I need to pursue the path towards greatness against people who have been boxing their whole life.
“So far, my entire boxing career has been on pay-per-view, but now it’s about more than business.
“Now I want to build my experience in the ring against seasoned fighters.”
And Paul’s business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, added that The Problem Child was “once again doing what very few of the best and biggest boxers in the world have done in their 9th professional fight – fighting someone with a better record and more experience.
“Pound-for-pound, the great Terrence Crawford fought a 9-14 opponent in his 9th fight, Canelo Alvarez fought a 0-1 opponent, and Gervonta Davis fought an opponent that had 31 losses!
“But Terence, Canelo and Gervonta didn’t have the world watching. Jake Paul does, and he’s once again putting it all on the line taking on a 10-1 opponent.”
Paul, who currently has an 8-1 record, will be looking to win his second straight fight this year since losing to professional boxer Tommy Fury in February via split decision.
In August, the 26-year-old bounced back from his first loss to beat MMA star Nate Diaz in August via unanimous decision.
The bout with August will take place at the Caribe Royale Orlando.
Paul will look to go 9-1 against August as aims to win his eleventh boutCredit: Instagram / jakepaul More

JAKE PAUL launched an expletive-ridden blast at his critics after announcing his next opponent will be Andre August.The ‘Problem Child’ will return to the boxing ring for the first time since fighting MMA star Nate Diaz in Orlando, Florida on December 15.
Jake Paul has angrily defended his choice of opponent for his next boutCredit: Getty
He will face Andre August (10-1) next month in FloridaCredit: Instagram / jakepaul
The American 26-year-old is 7-1 in his fighting career after his last outing and is adamant that he is still aiming to become a world champion.
August, 35, has a record of 10 wins and one loss on his CV and will collide with his countryman in a cruiserweight bout over eight rounds.
However, many fans were left underwhelmed when the Texan was announced as Paul’s opponent following his big-name battles with Diaz, Tommy Fury and Anderson Silva.
But the much-maligned and controversial YouTube sensation hit back on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in X-rated fashion at his doubters.
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Paul wrote: “Shut the f*** up if you still hating.”
Then, with each next to green tick emojis, he listed four reasons why August was a good choice, writing: “Boxer true and true. Better record than me. More wins by KO than me. Same weight.”
August’s only defeat came against Eric Abraham in 2018 and his most recent victory came against the until then undefeated 7-0 Brandon Martin which he won unanimously on points.
During the official fight announcement, Paul outlined his desire to move away from fighting fellow influencers.
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He said: “I want to build my experience in the ring against seasoned fighters.”
However, August issued a warning, saying: “I don’t talk very much. I’m all about that action.
“Jake Paul has the money, the fame, the team and the resources, but he doesn’t have my hunger.
“When that bell rings, I am going to go straight to Jake Paul and ring his bell and send him back to YouTube for good.”
Paul initially began by fighting fellow YouTubers but has more recently moved towards fighting former stars of the UFC.
He defeated Ben Askren before beating Tyron Woodley twice and then enjoyed victories over octagon legends Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.
His win over Diaz arrived via unanimous decision in August.
That was on the back of him suffering his first loss in February to Fury in Saudi Arabia via a controversial split decision. More

JAKE PAUL has announced that he will be fighting Andre August on December 15.The fight will take place in Orlando, Florida, as the YouTuber returns to the ring for the first time since fighting MMA star Nate Diaz in August.
Paul returns to the ring for the first time since his win against Nate Diaz in August.Credit: Alamy
Ask and I shall deliver. August has more KO’s than me, more wins than me, more experience than me, but I like to gamble. The path to world champ starts here. Just straight up boxing. pic.twitter.com/5AoXxPmAPj— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 8, 2023

According to combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, the fight will take place at cruiserweight and consist of eight rounds.
Confirming the fight on X, formerly known as Twitter, Paul, 26, wrote: “Ask and I shall deliver. August has more KO’s than me, more wins than me, more experience than me, but I like to gamble.
“The path to world champ starts here. Just straight up boxing.”
According to BoxRec, August, 35, has contested 12 professional bouts, winning 10 with five by knockout.
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His only defeat came against fellow American boxer Eric Abraham in 2018.
His most recent victory came against the until then undefeated 7-0 Brandon Martin which he won unanimously on points.
While August is a relative unknown in boxing, it marks the first time that Paul has fought an out and out boxer.
That’s reflected in his tweet where Paul says: “Just straight boxing” as it now appears the YouTuber will be moving away from exhibition bouts and towards becoming a fully-fledged professional.
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Paul initially began by fighting fellow YouTubers but has more recently moved towards fighting former stars of the UFC.
He defeated Ben Askren before beating Tyron Woodley twice.
He then won bouts against UFC legends Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.
His most recent victory against Diaz arrived via unanimous decision in August.
Paul has a 6-1 boxing record, with his only defeat coming against Tommy Fury this February in a bout in Saudi Arabia.
Paul lost the bout via a split decision. More

TOMMY FURY claimed Jake Paul reached out to him privately following his win over KSI. Fury became the first man to defeat Paul in the boxing ring having won their Saudi Arabia grudge match via split-decision in February.
Tommy Fury beat KSI on pointsCredit: Splash
Jake Paul makes his boxing return on December 15Credit: Getty
He went on to face Paul’s arch rival KSI next and also walked away with a victory on the scorecards.
Paul was ringside to watch the bout in Manchester and later reached out to congratulate Fury.
Fury told the Daily Mail: “He messaged me the other day and said, ‘Congratulations brother, you know, I could tell there’s something wrong with your hand.’ All this sort of stuff, being extra nice.
“Trying to get that fight on. At the end of the day, it’s one of them, I think the fight is inevitable.
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“He knows that I’m his biggest draw and for me now sitting at the top I’ve done things that he hasn’t.
“Him and KSI have been talking about fighting for years, I’ve literally came and inside 12 months beat the pair of them, on their own show.
“So I don’t know, it is what it is. It’s my choice now, no matter what I’m the head of the crossover thing now.
“It’s alright me saying it because I’ve beat the two best men in it. So whoever I want to fight next it’s up to me. I can pick and choose these guys.”
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KSI, 30, has since appealed his loss to Fury, 24, which he labelled a “robbery” and announced he is taking time away from boxing.
Paul, 26, on the other hand returns on Friday, December 15 against a pro boxer with a “winning record”, his Most Valuable Promotions banner claimed.
But the American has opened the door to a rematch with Fury next year having bounced back with victory over ex-UFC star Nate Diaz, 38, in August.
Tommy Fury and Jake Paul have both called for a rematchCredit: Reuters More