It may not be the long-awaited Fury fight everyone is dying to be announced, but according to reports, Tommy Fury has once again agreed to fight Jake Paul — for real this time (we hope).
The patriarch of the boxing family, John Fury, said on Sunday that after “backing him into a corner”, Paul‘s manager shook hands and “gave [their] word of honour” that a bout between the two fighters will be organised for February 2023.
Despite the Fury camp having pulled out twice before for different reasons, Tommy‘s dad went on to warn: “if you renege or back out, you’ll never live it down”. He went on to say that a handshake is more valuable to him than a contract. We just want them they actually fight as promised at this point.
As for the younger Paul brother, he confirmed the agreement on social media by calling out promoter Frank Warren and demanding a contract be signed within the next week or he’s “moving on”.
Dear @FrankWarren , I agree to fight Tommy in Manchester or London in Feb. I’ll come to his country, no more running. His baby is due then & you’ve said it’s no issue. Since John is adamant we’ve agreed, I am giving u 7 days to present a signed contract by Tommy or I’m moving on. https://t.co/QMDuEsWipw
The 25-year-old influencer turned boxer also claimed that Warren said the arrival of Fury and Molly-Mae Hague’s first child around that time will not be an issue, though we suspect she might beg to differ.
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It would seem the breakthrough was made after things got rather heated at the Floyd Mayweather vs Deji exhibition fight on Sunday, when 23-year-old Fury had already warned he was going to “slap Jake Paul in the face” at ringside.
While things didn’t transpire that far, Paul went viral for shouting abuse at Fury from the commentary booth and throughout his fight, in general. As a result, the Manchester-born boxer wasted no time in calling him out after the bell rang.
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Tommy Fury and Jake Paul are going AT IT 🤯
Watch #MayweatherDeji live on DAZN PPV in the US, CA, UK, Ire, Aus, NZ and Japan.
Tommy’s fight against Paul Bamba was called off in due to an apparent weigh-in dispute, with the younger Fury brother having to fight Rolly Lambert in a last-minute replacement to try and save the undercard.
However, the fight went un-scored as it was only an exhibition and the pair were booed throughout by the disappointed crowd watching on in Dubai. With that in mind, seeing the minor scuffle between the two camps would have no doubt been one of the biggest highlights of their fight.
Even Big John tried to have a go at the burgeoning American boxer:
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Nothing to see here…
Just a topless John Fury shadow boxing and offering Jake Paul out! 🥊
As mentioned, we’ve done this dance before and while we hope this fight finally comes to fruition, we’re taking this so-called agreement with an ever bigger pinch of salt than we did before.
Both fighters are undefeated in their boxing careers so far (Fury boasting 8-0 and Paul 6-0) and both men have been criticised for not having faced a truly challenging opponent yet.
That being said, there’s a reason there is still clamour for this transatlantic fight — if not to prove they can truly box then at least to be done with the soap opera of it all. If the contract is signed and barring any cold feet in the eleventh hour, will you be tuning in to watch Tommy Fury vs Jake Paul?
Featured Image — Jake Paul/Tommy Fury (via Instagram)
Sport
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
Manchester City plotting spending spree ‘before’ Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to embark on somewhat of a spending spree this summer transfer window as the club’s higher-ups are looking to get business done before the 2025 Club World Cup.
With FIFA’s intercontinental club competition set to get underway in mid-June, the Blues don’t have too long to welcome in new players, but Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated their urgency regarding recruitment.
Despite having brought in four new acquisitions in a very short space of time last season, the 50-year-old argued that he wasn’t completely happy with the extent and speed of their business.
Giving a lengthy interview this week, CFG‘s founding chairman has imposed an internal deadline ahead of the lucrative knockout competition.
Speaking with club media, Khaldoon recognised that while there were incomings in January of this year, he believes they “should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do, adding that he believes it “cost [them].”
“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly [the targets are], in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option”, he continues.
More importantly, he goes on to add: “We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
He also suggested the flurry of activity this past January was not just atypical of the administration, but felt the squad fell into a crisis state with the number of injuries, insisting they “had to act.”
City have already been linked with a hugely talented and highly-rated European target in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne‘s departure and a lack of strength in depth in midfield.
An initial bid is said to have been received already and will likely be the first of many City summer signings.
He also insisted that the players who joined last season weren’t scattershot, emergency transfers (perhaps barring the resigning of İlkay Gündoğan) but were the start of the rebuild and “gives [fans] an idea of what’s coming this summer.”
Another player linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who scored in big moments during their Europa League run this year, registering 32 goal contributions across all competitions throughout the 24/25 campaign.
Who would you like to see added to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, then, Man City fans?
You can watch Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s interview in full down below:
Danny Jones -
15th November 2022 
