Tommy Fury has revealed the real reason why he pulled out of his high-profile fight with Jake Paul.
The pair were due to face-off in a massive pay-per-view event on December 18 in Florida, but Fury has been forced to miss out due to a chest infection and a broken rib.
The former Love Island star, who is also suffering from the flu, appealed to Paul to reschedule their meeting for early next year, but Paul - who will instead face a rematch with Tyron Woodley - is unwilling to commit to a future fight with Fury.
Speaking for the first time since the news broke, Fury said: "I am absolutely heartbroken that I have been forced to withdraw from my fight with Jake Paul due to a bacterial chest infection and broken rib.
"The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18.
"I can't express now disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year. I want this fight to happen more than anything.
"I'm now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date."
Fury had been training with his brother, heavyweight world champion Tyson, for what would have been the first headline bout of his career.
He made his US debut earlier this year on the undercard of Paul's fight with Woodley, beating Anthony Taylor in a dominant, if lacklustre, four-round unanimous decision.
And that was enough to earn him a bout with the YouTube star, which was set for this month until injury forced him out.
Fury's promoter Frank Warren added: "We are gutted for Tommy. This was a big opportunity for him to show the world what he can do.
"Unfortunately, he’s had to withdraw now as he’s clearly not anywhere near a hundred per cent. We’ll be working with Jake Paul’s team to see if we can reschedule for the new year.”
