What happened to Tommy Fury? How a rib injury derailed fight against Jake Paul

The road to Fury is taking a detour.

While the anticipated rematch between Tyron Woodley and Jake Paul comes to viewers on Saturday, Dec. 18, the original matchup between Paul and Tommy Fury may have had fight fans a bit more intrigued. Unfortunately, Fury’s training camp went awry, leading to the neophyte boxer pulling out of the bout in December.

A months-long feud between Paul and Fury led to a potential showdown between the two on Saturday night, but a training camp marred with illness and injury has pushed a potential grudge match between the two to an undisclosed later date.

Here’s what happened:

What happened to Tommy Fury?

Tommy Fury’s training camp leading up to his Dec. 18 fight with Jake Paul was marred by a series of issues, starting with a pretty severe illness and ending with a rib injury.

According to promoter Frank Warren, Fury fought through a pretty serious bacterial infection during the first four weeks of his camp. While Fury was working through the cold, the fighter said that his weakened state led to him breaking and fracturing multiple ribs thanks to a punch from an “idiot” in the gym.

Fury’s father, John Fury, said that a fighter in the gym bare-knuckle punched Tommy in the ribs, leading to the broken bone.

The news of Fury pulling out of the fight came in the wake of promoter Warren saying he had come down with a bit of a “cold” in November. Fury said he had been sick for roughly a month.

“Tommy had a little bit of a cold but hopefully he is going to be OK,” Warren said in November. “We are up in Morecambe so hopefully we will know more then, but he is up for it and he wants to fight.”

Fury shared images of his x-rays to remove any doubt that he may be ducking the fight to begin with.

On Dec. 6, Jake Paul announced that Fury pulled out of their upcoming Dec. 18 fight because of a “medical issue.” Paul took to Twitter to announce the news.

(Editor’s note: Video contains NSFW language.)

“It is official: Tommy Fury is boxing’s biggest b—,” Paul said following the announcement. “He has pulled out of the fight — the Furys have pulled out of the fight due to a medical condition. Who knows what the f— is going on in that camp.”

In the coming hours, Fury detailed all of his ailments that forced hm to pull out of the fight.

Fury and Paul have been feuding in recent months, leading to their fight being inked and set for the pre-Christmas showdown. Paul, instead, turns his sights on a rematch with Woodley. The first fight went to Paul in a split-decision victory, keeping him undefeated in his pro career.

Fury, also undefeated, last defeated Anthony Taylor on the Paul-Woodley undercard in August. The bout was signed and sealed on Oct. 29, but will have to be delivered at a later date.