Eddie Hearn jokes he could come out of retirement after Jake Paul and Tommy Fury fight

YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul will fight Tommy Fury on 18 December in Florida

Eddie Hearn has joked that he will have to come out of retirement and fight Jake Paul if the YouTuber-turned-boxer defeats Tommy Fury next month.

Paul has fought four times as a professional boxer, most recently defeating former UFC champion Tyron Woodley via split decision in August.

Fury, the younger brother of heavyweight world champion Tyson, is the first actual boxer Paul will have faced. Fury has fought seven times professionally and is undefeated, however, those bouts have all come against a low calibre of opponent.

The pair will fight on 18 December in Tampa, Florida, with Fury a slight favourite with bookmakers. Asked for his opinion on the bout, promoter Eddie Hearn told IFL TV: “I think it’s alright. I don’t think it’s a very big fight in America, I think it’s a bigger fight in the UK.

“I don’t mind what Jake Paul is doing. He’s taken the sport seriously, he’s training hard, and he’s fighting — not boxers, but combat sport guys. Now he’s fighting a guy that does box. I don’t see a problem there. I mean, look at the opponents Tommy Fury’s faced. It’s the toughest fight Tommy Fury’s ever had in his career. What does that say?”

Hearn went on to suggest the fight could go either way, despite Fury’s boxing background, and joked he would even have to come out of retirement himself to stop Paul’s conquest into boxing if the American is victorious next month.

“Jake Paul, the YouTuber, is the toughest fight that Tommy Fury’s ever had, and this is his (eighth) fight. I haven’t watched a lot of Tommy, I only watched his last fight and a couple of other blowouts, but people are telling me it’s a 50/50 fight. I can’t believe it. Surely, Tommy must win that fight. If not, I’m gonna have to come out of retirement and end this thing.”