"I am absolutely heartbroken" - Tommy Fury breaks silence after pulling out of Jake Paul fight due to injury

Jake Paul (left) Tommy Fury (right) [Images Courtesy: @tommyfury @jakepaul on Instagram]

Tommy Fury has released a statement regarding the news that he has pulled out of his boxing match with Jake Paul. The pair were scheduled to clash at a Showtime pay-per-view event on December 18.

Jake Paul initially released a video reacting to the news. During it, he described Tommy Fury as "The b**ch of Boxing." Fury has since revealed that he's suffering from a broken rib and a bacterial chest infection, which resulted in him dropping out of the fight.

As per Ariel Helwani, Tommy Fury's team released the following statement:

"I am absolutely heartbroken that I have been forced to withdraw from my fight with Jake Paul due to a bacterial chest infection and broken rib. The beginning of camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18th. I can't express how disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year. I want this fight to still happen more than anything. I'm now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date."

Tommy Fury suffered a broken rib and is dealing with a chest infection, per a statement released by his team: https://t.co/tVE2ggJe9I

Tommy Fury set to be replaced by Tyron Woodley

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley now appears to be stepping in on short notice to replace Tommy Fury. Woodley has already competed against Jake Paul once, coming up short in a close decision loss in August.

Earlier today, Showtime Boxing released an updated event poster, this time featuring Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley. The phrase "Leave No Doubt" can be seen at the top.

Woodley did come close to finishing Jake Paul in their previous fight. However, he appeared to hesitate after landing the seminal blow, allowing Paul to recover and regroup.

The two men verbally agreed to a rematch in the post-fight interview. Whilst it initially appeared that Jake Paul would not stick to his word, fate has since intervened to ensure 'The Chosen One' will get his second shot at adding the first blemish on the YouTuber-turned-boxer's record.

Change of plans 👀

Fury has withdrawn from the fight due to medical issues.

We’ll now see @jakepaul vs. @TWooodley run it back on 12.18. #PaulWoodley https://t.co/LbpUzzUjzS