Jake Paul rules out Tommy Fury rematch and Ngannou fight, no opponent set

Jake Paul has said no twice and yes to nobody. ESPN reported Tuesday that he ruled out a rematch with Tommy Fury and a fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou as he weighs opponents for his next sanctioned boxing appearance.

The Ngannou part stands out because Paul had been pushing him toward a different fight. Earlier this month, one of the most talked-about clips on r/MMA was Paul asking for Jon Jones to be released from the UFC so Jones could fight Ngannou, according to Knockout Daily. Paul wants the matchup, it seems, just not for himself. Jones, 39, has been in the news this week for a separate reason: he invited Daniel Cormier to Baton Rouge to end their feud.

The Fury door is closed too, though the report gave no reasons and Paul has not used the rematch as leverage.

The name drawing the most attention to fill the gap is Darren Till. Bloody Elbow ran a headline saying Till is "waiting for the contract" to fight Paul. Till has opened his BKFC run with wins over Aaron Chalmers and Yoel Romero, so he arrives with some momentum from bare-knuckle.

Till also has a second option. He was booked to rematch Derek Brunson on a Misfits Boxing card in Qatar in April, but that event was shut down because of the conflict in the Middle East. Brunson, 42, makes his BKFC debut against Theo Doukas on Nov. 20 in Myrtle Beach and is already calling for Till next. He told Bloody Elbow: "If BKFC want to go back to the UK, let's get these numbers right, me and Darren Till, gloves off, let's do it."

Neither Paul-Till nor Brunson-Till is booked. Watch for Paul to name an opponent, and for whether Till's interest turns into an actual contract.