Tommy Fury stopped from leaving U.K. leaving Jake Paul fight uncertain
The stoppage of Tommy Fury, heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s brother, from leaving London’s Heathrow Airport has threatened his planned Aug. 6 pay-per-view boxing match against YouTuber Jake Paul at Madison Square Garden.
"There's no word when Tommy's coming to the U.S.," Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza said. "We hope as soon as possible."
Two officials familiar with the law enforcement stoppage of Tommy Fury told Paste BN Sports on Tuesday that Madison Square Garden government relations officials contacted two Irish law enforcement authorities regarding the situation and were told that Fury "does not appear linked" to notorious Irish drug cartel head Daniel Kinahan.
Yet, the law enforcement officials also informed MSG staff that Tommy Fury's travel visa had not expired, the sources said, leading to speculation that stopping him at the airport may be a preemptive action before a conversation between the boxer and law enforcement.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.
Currently based in Dubai, Kinahan possesses a stronger bond with Tyson Fury, who publicly praised Kinahan for his role in negotiating a heavyweight unification bout against then-three-belt champion Anthony Joshua. That bout crumbled when Joshua was upset last year by Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk.
Opinion: Tyson Fury's 'none of your business' response to Daniel Kinahan connection is shameful
“As soon as I entered the airport, I got pulled to one side and I was told by a homeland security officer that my (travel visa) had been denied and I wasn’t able to travel to the USA for a reason that I apparently know,” Tommy Fury said on Instagram on Tuesday.
“I have no clue why I am not allowed to travel to the USA … and neither does any of my team or my lawyers,” Fury added.
The U.S. government has previously halted individuals connected with Kinahan from arriving in the U.S., including boxing trainer Ben Davison and former middleweight title challenger Matthew Macklin.
In sanctioning the Kinahan Organized Crime Group earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury said the KOCG “smuggles deadly narcotics, including cocaine, to Europe, and is a threat to the entire licit economy through its role in international money laundering. Criminal groups like the KOCG prey on the most vulnerable in society and bring drug-related crime and violence, including murder, to the countries in which they operate.”
World Boxing Council champion Tyson Fury failed to completely disavow himself from Kinahan before his April title defense against countryman Dillian Whyte at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Although Tyson Fury promoter Bob Arum said the champion planned to visit Las Vegas after the Whyte bout, he has not reached the U.S. and his father, John, recently revealed, “we can’t travel” to support Tommy’s planned U.S. training.
A boxing official familiar with Tyson Fury’s situation called it "concerning" and said they were trying to get information to see how long the travel ban will last. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Tommy Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) is now halted, too, but officials told Paste BN Sports that no backup fighters have been contacted to replace the 23-year-old.
Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) originally criticized Fury on Twitter for postponing a planned Wednesday news conference at MSG.
“No matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I’m going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out,” Paul tweeted Tuesday. Fury withdrew from fighting Paul last year due to injury and sickness.
In a statement following his tweet, Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions said, “Despite many assurances by Tommy Fury’s team that he was able to come to the U.S., and knowing that Tommy was in California just last month, we were surprised to learn that he had an issue … .”
Most Valuable Promotions also announced that Wednesday's press conference had been postponed.
Fury said in his Instagram Sto that “embassies” are working to address “government issues.”
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury has said he’s retired, and WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said last week that he plans to discuss the older Fury’s position sometime in July with the hope that the unbeaten champion will return to fight the winner of the Aug. 20 rematch between Joshua and new three-belt champion Usyk.