Topics: Boxing, MMA, Darren Till, Tommy Fury
Tommy Fury has lined up his next opponent and boxing fans aren't impressed.
Fury has ten bouts under his belt and stepped aside with a 10-0 record after beating Jake Paul and KSI in crossover fights at either end of 2023.
After an extended lay-off for hand surgery, Fury was slated to fight mixed martial artist Darren Till in January but withdrew over Till's apparent overstep in his definition of 'crossover' boxing.
"I can't believe I'm writing this but I am now not fighting Darren Till on 18 January 2025," Fury wrote on Instagram.
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"For the one simple reason being that Darren has stated over and over that he does not want to abide by professional boxing rules and that if he is losing the fight he will resort to kicking and other stupid MMA tactics.
"I am a professional boxer, I have been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted this to be a great BOXING fight for the fans. I have wasted weeks in training camp."
Fury, the half-brother of multiple world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and a regular participant in reality television since appearing on Love Island in 2019, will instead be heading to Budapest in May for a main event bout against little-known Bosnian Kenan Hanjalic.
In doing so, Fury is apparently leaving higher profile rematches against Paul and KSI on the table in a bid to ease himself back into professional boxing with a likely win.
Fans on social media have had their say, of course, and Fury's choice is not a popular one.
"Still terrified of Till," mused one user on X, formerly Twitter.
"Tommy Fury is a joke but thinks he is sick," chuckled another.
The response wasn't all negative. Logic, in one or two cases, did prevail.
"It's just a warm-up fight. Someone he can KO," suggested one fan. "He's probably testing out his new weight in the ring. Tommy is looking bigger and stronger these days. After this fight he might feel comfortable to box Till."
"He hasn't fought for almost two years and has just recovered [from] surgery," agreed another. "Let the man get his warmup lol."
Fury himself went for the comedy route on X, posting: "Two years out. One surgery. The hardest battle I've faced has been the mental battle of being away from boxing. But I'm back stronger, sharper, and more HUNGARY than ever."
