Jake Paul Re-Ups with Tyron Woodley on Dec. 18 after Tommy Fury Pulls Out

Tommy Fury has pulled out of his Dec. 18 match in Tampa with Jake Paul on Showtime PPV. Stepping in for Fury is Tyron Woodley. This will be a rematch. Paul defeated Woodley by split decision on Aug. 29.

Fury cited a broken rib and a bacterial chest infection in a formal statement in which he said he was “absolutely heartbroken” by this development. “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^th,” he said. “I can’t express how disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year…”

Tommy Fury, 22, is the younger half-brother of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. As a pro boxer, he’s 7-0 but against motley competition. In the aggregate, his opponents were 14-175-5 at the time that he fought them.

In England, Fury is primarily known for his appearances on the 2019 installment of the reality TV show “Love Island.” Paired with supermodel and social media influencer Molly May Hague, he made it to the finals. Fury and Hague subsequently became real-life partners and now share a home together. Needless to say, their relationship has been great sauce for the tabloids.

Tyron Woodley, a 39-year-old father of four, grew-up in Ferguson, Missouri, a crime-plagued community that borders St. Louis. At the University of Missouri where he majored in agricultural economics, ostensibly with the intent of becoming a farmer, he was a two-time All-American wrestler. He went on to become a UFC welterweight (165-pound) champion. However, he would end his MMA career with four straight losses.

In Paul-Woodley I, Jake vaulted to an early lead. “During the first three rounds, it was painful to watch Woodley who seemed lost inside a boxing ring instead of a cage,” wrote TSS mainstay David A. Avila. But Woodley landed the best punch of the fight in round four, hurting Paul with a left hand, and things got a bit dicey from there. At the end of the 8-round contest, the judges had it 78-74, 77-75, and 75-77, giving Paul the nod by split decision.

Before today, Paul showed no interest in a rematch. “I don’t think people wanna see Tyron vs. Jake Paul again; he had his chance,” Paul told TMZ. But Jake is too valuable a commodity for Showtime to lose the date. The Paul-Woodley match in August attracted a sell-out crowd of more than 16,000 to the NBA arena in Cleveland with many in attendance arriving with a parent in tow, being too young to drive.

Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury was given the tagline “One Will Fall.” Paul-Woodley II, an 8-rounder contested at the catchweight of 192 pounds, has been christened “Leave No Doubt.”

Paul, who is 4-0 as a pro, having feasted on thirty-somethings, would have been the underdog against Tommy Fury, barring late developments. One prominent online bookmaking establishment was quoting odds of 9/5 Fury before the fight was taken off the board. They re-posted Jake Paul a 3/1 favorite over Tyron Woodley.

The Dec. 18 card at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, which remains a Showtime PPV, includes an intriguing 10-round contest between unbeaten super lightweights Liam Paro (21-0), and Yomar Alamo (20-0-1). In another bout of note, the great Amanda Serrano (41-1-1) opposes Mariam Gutierrez (14-1).

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