Tommy Fury Cancels Daren Till Boxing Fight, Cites Threat of 'Stupid MMA Tactics'
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVDecember 7, 2024
Tommy Fury announced Friday that he is calling off his scheduled Jan. 18 boxing match against former UFC fighter Darren Till.
Fury posted a statement explaining his decision on Instagram, writing in part: "Darren has stated over and over that he does not want to abide by professional boxing rules and that if he is [losing] the fight he will resort to kicking and other stupid MMA tactics."
Michael Benson @MichaelBensonn‼️ Tommy Fury has stated that the Darren Till fight is now cancelled: "Darren has stated over and over that he does not want to abide by professional boxing rules and that if he is losing the fight he will resort to kicking and other stupid MMA tactics." <a href="https://t.co/juO36NL4es">pic.twitter.com/juO36NL4es</a>
Per Darshan Desai of Yahoo Sports' Uncrowned, Fury was referencing comments made by Till at a press conference related to the fight last month. At the time, Till said: "I'm an MMA fighter, so if I want to kick you or elbow you in the face, I will. And no one can do anything about it. How about that?"
Till tool severe umbrage with Fury's decision to pull out of the fight, as he made several posts on X in response to Fury's announcement:
DT @darrentill2Tommy Fury u are the biggest shithouse I have ever met in my life do not ever call yourself a fighter again I was selling the fight to make me and you more money you absolute empty head fighting family my ass you and ur dad shithouses I don't need to throw kicks you was getting… <a href="https://t.co/St0pFmL2qC">pic.twitter.com/St0pFmL2qC</a>
DT @darrentill2‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ I have only just found out that my team knew Tommy Fury was pulling out of the fight Sunday and didn't want to tell me cos they were trying to get John Fury on the phone but he's not answering calls apparently <br>Tommy you was never ready for that date you crazy… <a href="https://t.co/qwbJH3atBv">pic.twitter.com/qwbJH3atBv</a>
DT @darrentill2Just so everyone knows and is clear <br>Tommy Fury was the A side in this event <br>Which means he was getting more money and he gets to call the shots over me which is rightfully so<br>He's the boxer and he's the bigger name <br>So if this is the case he could not fight me and fight someone…
Till insisted that he was joking about using MMA maneuvers on Fury, but with Fury choosing not to fight him, Till announced that he still plans to fight on Jan. 18 in Manchester, England, against a different opponent.
The scheduled Fury vs. Till bout was being promoted by Misfits Boxing, which is owned by YouTuber KSI.
KSI also expressed displeasure with Fury, writing on X: "Tommy Fury is scared of getting kicked in a boxing match hahaha. Darren Till is not gonna kick you mate, relax and prepare for your fight in January on Misfits."
Fury, 25, is the younger brother of former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, and he has participated in some high-profile fights in his own right.
Tommy Fury is the only person with a win over Jake Paul, as he defeated the YouTube star by split decision in February 2023. He then beat KSI by unanimous decision in October 2023.
Fury, who has a career record of 10-0, has not fought in more than a year, but he said in his statement that he is trying to find a new opponent and date for his next fight.
The 31-year-old Till has a career MMA record of 18-5-1, but he has lost five of his past six fights following a 17-0-1 start to his career. That included losing a UFC Welterweight Championship bout against Tyron Woodley in 2018.
Per Desai, former middleweight and super middleweight boxing champion Billy Joe Saunders, who went 30-1 in his career, has offered to replace Fury as Till's opponent on Jan. 18.