Darren Till set to face ex-Bellator fighter next as Tommy Fury withdraws from boxing bout
A former Bellator MMA fighter has stepped in to face the former UFC middleweight Darren Till in place of Tommy Fury. Till's first professional boxing match still stands scheduled for Jan. 18, 2025.
Till's words during the pre-event press conference turned out to be the reason behind Fury's withdrawal from the fight. 'The Gorilla' stated that he wouldn't mind resorting to kicking if he senses that he is losing the fight. Till also said that he would even use a head kick if necessary.
Fury announced his withdrawal from the fight earlier this month, which also put Till's pro-boxing debut in jeopardy.
KSI's Misfits Boxing took some time to find a new rival for Till. But a recent X update from @HappyPunch revealed that they had finally succeeded in the task. Till will now lock horns with the former Bellator lightweight, Anthony Taylor. The caption to the X update read:
"Anthony Taylor is stepping in for Tommy Fury to fight Darren Till on January 18th"
Taylor holds an overall professional MMA record of 7-5 which is far inferior to Till (18-5). But he trumps Till in terms of in-ring experience with a pro-boxing record of 3-3.
Darren Till saw Tommy Fury's desire to have an easier fight as the reason behind his pullout
Darren Till addressed the issue of Tyson Fury's pullout from the fight soon after it was announced. A video from The Mac Life showcased him saying that his words about using head kicks were just a tactic for mental warfare before the actual fight. He said:
"I just threw one kick in a [training] video. Never in a million years, I would throw a kick in a fight that's only [based on] boxing rules."
Check out Darren Till's comments in the video below (0:44):
Till discussed Fury's pullout once more in his interview with Andi Purewal from Boxing News. This time, Till accused Fury of ditching the fight against him to accept and "easier" fight against Jake Paul. Till said:
"What happened is that rumors have been flying around. I'm knocking in the gym, I'm sparring and they [Tommy Fury and his team] thought, 'Let's f**k that [this fight] off, and let's go for an easier fight with Jake Paul. Jake Paul is the easier fight. That's the truth deep down, Tommy knows it.'"
Check out Darren Till's comments below (2:17):