Recently Tommy Fury pulled out of his boxing match next month with Darren Till and one Billy Joe Saunders offered to step in.
Not a whole lot has seem to come about from it since, though.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani Till said:
“Let’s welcome our first guest of the day. He’s the man who was supposed to fight Tommy Fury on January 18th, but that fight apparently isn’t happening. He’s the pride of Liverpool, the one and only Darren Till!
Darren, you had us on a bit of a rollercoaster there — you were in, you were out. What’s going on? Is everything okay? You made my producers sweat a little bit. Were you trolling us back there?
Darren: No, no trolling at all. Sorry about that. I was just doing a bit of Christmas shopping. You know how it is.
Oh, okay! Well, we won’t take up too much of your time because I know you’re busy. I see some gifts back there — I’ll be expecting mine, by the way. I mean, I have a lot to forgive you for after our little incident a couple of years ago.
So, where do things stand regarding January 18th? Are you still on the card?
Darren: Yeah, I think so. Misfits is working hard to get me an opponent. As I’ve said before, I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. Hopefully, someone steps up.
I heard they’re close to securing someone. Are you hearing the same?
Darren: Yeah, I’ve heard the same. It’s promising, isn’t it?
Are you happy with the options being presented?
Darren: (Laughs) Yeah, yeah. I mean, I’m happy enough. It’s been a bit of a mess, though, and I’m honestly a little upset about the Tommy Fury situation. That was a big fight for me, and I know I would’ve beaten him.
You’re saying Tommy backed out not because of an injury, but for other reasons. Can you elaborate?
Darren: Yeah, I’ll tell you what I think happened. Our gyms are close, and there are always rumors going around. I think Tommy heard about how well I’ve been sparring. A lot of high-level pros have been in my gym, and I’ve been holding my own — really impressing people. So, I think Tommy realized it wouldn’t be an easy night for him and backed out.
You don’t buy the story about the “mean words” or the excuses being put out?
Darren: No, I don’t buy it at all. It’s a terrible excuse. He signed a contract, and you don’t just pull out because someone said something mean. Before the press conference, he was acting tough, saying, “If Darren wants to get crazy, we can get crazy.” But then he walked away.
To be fair, this is a massive victory for you, right? You can say you didn’t even have to lace up the gloves to make someone back out.
Darren: Exactly! It’s a huge win for me. The Furies have always been bullies, but here I am, just one man, and I ended them at a press conference.
Is there a part of you that thinks, “Man, if this were the UFC, Dana White would never let something like this happen?”
Darren: Oh, 100%. This kind of thing just wouldn’t fly in the UFC. Boxing is a crazy world.
It seems like another fight fell through after two years of waiting. How frustrating is this for you?
Darren: It’s tough, man. All I want to do is fight. That’s it. It’s been a rough few days.
I saw an interview where you said you’d still fight Tommy Fury in the future. Why would you give him another chance after all this?
Darren: I think it just makes the fight bigger now, doesn’t it? But honestly, I’ve lost a lot of respect for him.
Any talk of you fighting someone like Billy Joe Saunders?
Darren: I’d fight him, sure, but that hasn’t been discussed.
So, just to clarify: you’re staying on the January 18th card, and Misfits is close to securing a new opponent.
Darren: Yeah, that’s right. Hopefully, we get it locked in soon.
Alright, Darren, I’ll let you go — it seems like you’ve got a lot going on today. I just want to say this hasn’t been your best interview, but we’ll forgive you because you’ve given us so much good content over the years.
Darren: (Laughs) Yeah, sorry about that, mate. I’m just feeling a bit down. It’s been a tough few days, and I’m not really feeling motivated right now.
Better days are ahead. The holidays are coming, your birthday’s around the corner, and we’ll get you back when the fight is confirmed.
Darren: Deal. If the fight gets announced, I’ll come back on and break the news with you.
Alright, chin up, mate. You’re a legend, and you’re beloved. Happy birthday, happy holidays, and better days ahead.
Darren: Appreciate that, mate. See you soon.“
Better days ahead for Till surely, a man who has been taking professional boxing deadly serious the last couple of years.
Even sparring with former world champion Liam Smith in grueling rounds recently in the gym.
Showing more and more big MMA stars continue to make the move to boxing and grow boxing as a sport.
