Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have hit another hurdle ahead of their grudge match.
On Tuesday, Fury shared a video in which he claimed that he had been denied entry to the U.S. as he and his team attempted to board a flight from London to New York. According to Fury, he does not know why this complication arose and his team is working to resolve the issue so that he can meet Paul for their scheduled boxing match on Aug. 6 at Madison Square Garden.
“Me and my team this morning arrived at Heathrow Airport ready for the press conference, ready to fly out, and as soon as we entered the airport I got pulled to one side and I was told by the homeland security that my ESTA (US Electronic System for Travel Authorization) had been denied and I wasn’t able to travel to the USA for a reason that I apparently know,” Fury said. “I can stand here and say I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong and I have no clue why I’m not allowed to travel to the USA. I’d like to say I’ve been traveling for a fight this whole time and that’s all I’ve been doing. I have no clue why they would not allow me to travel today and neither does any of my team.
“So now I’m having to go to the embassies and all this sort of stuff trying to resolve it and I’m in the middle of training. I don’t know why this has happened today, it’s a massive shock to me and my whole team. Obviously, it’s a matter that needs to be resolved. It’s government issues. It’s a lot bigger than the fight right now and I’m just trying to get it solved, but I just wanted to let you all know where it was at.”
TMZ reports the reason Fury was denied entry was his family’s alleged ties with suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan.
Paul and Fury were previously scheduled to this past December, but Fury withdrew due to an injury and an illness.
Reacting to the news on social media, Paul accused Fury of trying to “weasel” his way out of the fight and wrote that his team has reached out to Fury’s people to inform them how to resolve the unspecified issue.
Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I’m going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out. My team & my partners have made it clear the steps u need to take 2 solve ur latest excuse. Take them or admit ur a scared little bitch. #TommyFumbles
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 28, 2022
Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I’m going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out. My team & my partners have made it clear the steps u need to take 2 solve ur latest excuse. Take them or admit ur a scared little bitch. #TommyFumbles
Paul’s promotion Most Valuable Promotions subsequently announced that Wednesday’s press conference for the bout has been postponed.
Despite many assurances by Tommy Fury and his team that he was able to come to the U.S., and knowing that Tommy was in California just last month, we were surprised to learn that he had an issue at Heathrow airport on Monday.
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) June 28, 2022
As a result of circumstances out of our control, the scheduled press conference for Wednesday at MSG has been postponed. We are working with our partners at SHOWTIME and Madison Square Garden and will share more information as soon as we are able.
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) June 28, 2022
