Tommy Fury says his bout with Darren Till is off after the former UFC star threatened to use “MMA tactics”.
The 25-year-old cruiserweight is due to face Till at Manchester’s Co-op Live in January.
At a news conference on 19 November, Till threatened to break boxing rules by using a head kick if he was losing in the latter stages of the Manchester fight.
“I can’t believe I’m writing this but I am now not fighting Darren Till on 18 January 2025,” Fury wrote on Instagram.
“For the one simple reason being that Darren has stated over and over that he does not want to abide by professional boxing rules and that if he is losing the fight he will resort to kicking and other stupid MMA tactics.
“I am a professional boxer, I have been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted this to be a great BOXING fight for the fans. I have wasted weeks in training camp.”
Misfits Boxing, who are due to promote the event, has been contacted by BBC Sport for comment but is yet to confirm whether the fight is off.
It is unclear clear which body will oversee the fight if it goes ahead, though it will not be licensed by the British Boxing Board of Control, or if it will count towards Fury’s professional record.
Liverpool’s Till, 31, had a record of 18 wins, five defeats and one draw in 24 fights during his mixed martial arts career.
He competed 12 times under the UFC banner and challenged for the promotion’s welterweight title in 2018.
Till was released by the UFC in March 2023 and beat Mohammad Mutie by technical knockout on his boxing debut, with the fight marred by a mass brawl after the fight was waved off. The bout did not count towards Till’s professional record.
In response to Fury pulling out of the contest, Till posted two expletive-filled videos on social media platform X denying that he would break the rules.
“I said I’d kick him in the head at the press conference as a mental warfare tactic and since then I haven’t said anything else,” said Till.
“I’ve been hard at work boxing for two years, I haven’t thrown a kick in two years, I threw one kick on a video as a mental warfare tactic.
“Never in a million years would I throw a head kick in a fight that is only boxing rules. I stick to rules, I have always abided by the rules throughout my whole career.”
Till added that he is “still main eventing” on 18 January and that an “opponent is being found as we speak”.
Fury, the half-brother of former heavyweight world champion Tyson, is an undefeated boxer with 10 fights on his record.
He has not fought since a points win against YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI in October 2023.
“We are working hard to get a new opponent and date,” Fury added.
“I promise to get a better opponent and better fight for you guys. Good news around the corner.”
