Tommy Fury announces reason for withdrawal from Jake Paul fight

Tommy Fury is out of his fight with Jake Paul due to injury and a medical condition, according to the British reality TV star.

Fury’s team released a statement addressing the withdrawal to Ariel Helwani on Monday shortly after news broke that Fury is out of his upcoming boxing match against Paul on Dec. 18 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Showtime pay-per-view. Stepping in for Fury is former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, who lost a split decision to Paul this past August.

In the statement attributed to Fury, he states that he is suffering from a bacterial chest infection and broken rib:

I am absolutely heartbroken that I have been forced to withdraw from my fight with Jake Paul due to a bacterial chest infection and broken rib. The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18th. I can’t express how disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year, I want this fight to still happen more than anything. I’m now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date.

Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, is 7-0 as a pro boxer. He most recently competed on the Aug. 29 Paul vs. Woodley card, where he defeated Anthony Taylor by unanimous decision.

Showtime announced that the new event headlined by the Paul-Woodley rematch is now titled “Leave No Doubt.” Like the Paul-Fury bout, Paul-Woodley 2 will be an eight-round, 192-pound catchweight bout.