TYSON FURY bragged his brother could be Jake Paul ‘with broken ribs and the flu’.
But now those comments have come back to bite him, as Tommy pulled out of the fight for those exact problems.
The younger Fury, 22, confirmed he had backed out of the December 18 bout.
He said: “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.”
It came after Tyson’s confident prediction for a win for TNT – even if physically hindered.
The WBC heavyweight champ boasted: “Tommy looked terrible on purpose so he could get this fight, that is what clever people do.
“Tommy could have his worst night ever and still beat Jake Paul.
“He could probably turn up with broken ribs, a broken left hand, two left feet, his clothes on back to front and a flu and he would still beat him.
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“That is how confident I am that he can beat Jake Paul.”
Deontay Wilder’s conqueror Fury was part of the camp for his brother, helping to train him alongside their dad John.
But there are fears it was actually the 33-year-old who broke his sibling’s bone with a brutal training exercise using a medicine ball.
Fury Jr must now sit on the sidelines and recover.
But the Love Islander insisted he still plans to fight, and beat, his American rival in 2022.
Fury added: “The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18.
“I can’t express now disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year.
“I want this fight to happen more than anything.
“I’m now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date.”
Paul will instead fight Tyron Woodley in a rematch of their August bout – with the ex-UFC star already in training and offered an extra $500,000 [£377,000] if he secures a revenge knockout.
The Problem Child blasted: “For the Furys, it’s an embarrassment.
“They said: ‘We’ll fight Jake with a broken rib, we’ll fight Jake with a chest infection, we’ll fight Jake with our arms tied behind our backs’.
“And then when it actually came to fighting me, they pulled out. So it sucks, but it is what it is.”
Paul continued: “He has never accomplished anything himself. The only reason he is anything is because of his brother.
“He’s had a silver spoon in his mouth for his entire life. He has got fame from his brother.
“He has never had a real opponent. His opponents were all meant to lose.
“I’m a scary guy to fight – the [trash talk], the pressure. All of this? He cracked and tried to find a way out. I truly believe that.”
