Jake Paul`s wide-ranging callouts, targeting boxers from lightweight to heavyweight, have drawn criticism from his past opponent, Tyson Fury.
Paul`s only professional defeat came in 2023 against Tyson`s younger brother, Tommy Fury, via split decision. A rematch has been discussed since then, but securing the fight has proven difficult for Tommy, who has competed professionally only twice in the interim.
The rivalry between the Paul and Fury families continues, despite both Tommy`s father, John Fury, and Tyson himself having previously spoken relatively favorably of Jake. However, following a series of challenges issued by the social media figure, the elder Fury has now openly criticized his former family adversary.
Tyson Fury criticizes Jake Paul for bizarre set of callouts
After defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday night, Jake Paul used his microphone time to name five potential opponents, including two cruiserweight world champions. His list remarkably included both lightweight sensation Gervonta Davis and former heavyweight king Anthony Joshua.
This left Tyson Fury baffled. Speaking to media at the IBA Pro Show, he questioned:
“How could you call out Anthony Joshua and Gervonta Davis? It’s like f—ing that end of the scale and this end of the scale! I’m not sure how that works.”
Paul typically faces significantly lighter opponents, but the 5`5″ Davis, who last weighed under 134lb, represents one extreme. Conversely, in the very same speech, Paul challenged the 6`6″ heavyweight Joshua, who recently weighed in over 252lb.
Jake Paul’s response to private Tyson Fury text revealed
In the same interview, Fury stated he had taken personal steps to facilitate a rematch for his brother, claiming he texted Jake Paul privately to demand the fight happen.
“I hoped they would,” he told Seconds Out regarding a potential rematch. “I’ve even texted Jake Paul to say ‘what’s going on, do you want to get it on with Tommy and make the fight happen?’ I just think there’s a lot of egos involved in boxing.”
“It’s a lot of ‘he said this, she said that, I want this, I want that’. When things like that happen, it’s difficult to make fights as you’ve seen over the years.”
Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s business partner and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, corroborated Fury’s account of the text exchange. Bidarian tweeted:
“I can confirm he did text Jake and say you and Tommy need the rematch. I can also confirm Jake responded that said he offered Tommy $5 million and he’s not getting that money from anyone else.”
