Tommy Fury has revealed the message he received from bitter rival Jake Paul after defeating KSI in their controversial boxing match.
The 24-year-old younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury handed Paul his first loss in February.
Both men settled their differences in Saudi Arabia to end a feud which dates back years.
Paul made several jibes at Fury's partner Molly-Mae Hague, in addition to his father, John.
Advert
Fury followed up that win with an unconvincing unanimous decision victory against KSI in Manchester last month. 'TNT' was criticised for his performance at the AO Arena, having points deducted for striking the online personality on the back of his head.
Paul was in attendance as he watched older brother Logan beat Dillon Danis via disqualification on the undercard. In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Fury opened up on the words he and his oldest foe shared post-fight.
He said: "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."
Fury previously claimed his goal is to end the trend of 'influencer boxing'. Paul and KSI both became household names on YouTube before deciding to try their hand at combat sport.
"He knows that I'm his biggest draw and for me now sitting at the top I've done things that he hasn't." Fury continued.
"He and KSI have been talking about fighting for years, I've literally come 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."
Paul returned to the ring in August and overcame former UFC star Nate Diaz. He's set to announce his next opponent on Wednesday, thought to be a professional boxer.
SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.
Topics: Tommy Fury, KSI, Jake Paul
Daniel Marland