Controversy looms.
On February 26, YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul will face unbeaten Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Last week, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman announced that the unbeaten Paul – should he beat Fury – would receive a world ranking in the cruiserweight division, which is nothing more than a joke.
Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) has yet to face a true boxer in the ring. The majority of his wins have come against MMA veterans. While Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) has fought boxers, none have been awe-inspiring. Six of his opponents have losing records, including one that has racked up 113 losses and another that has yet to win in 37 fights.
Of course, Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) is the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, and despite turning pro five years ago, he hasn’t accomplished anything. Six of his opponents have losing records, including three that are winless, I repeat. Of the unlucky trio, they hold a combined record of 0-82-2, a stat line so atrocious it would even cause your rival from the Fight Night Round 2 career mode to have a brain aneurysm.
But jokes aside, this fight is probably 50-50.
Paul has fought more professional rounds than Fury, and if this were a perfect world, Fury would probably win relatively easily. However, Paul, despite his lack of an impactful jab and one-dimensional tendencies, has been getting the rounds in and has generally been the more active fighter.
Say what you want about Paul, but he has a solid team around him. They’re not taking this fight because Fury is some top-level fighter and a future world champion; they’re doing it because there’s a name, the label of “professional boxer” and an opponent that doesn’t take their craft seriously. This is honestly an ingenious move.
Team Jake Paul to this point have been superb at picking proper foes..will Fury mess up the momentum?
If Paul wins, which is a possibility, most casual boxing fans won’t know the difference or care, including guys like Joe Rogan. He was on his podcast recently praising Fury’s skill while watching highlights of his fights against Pzremyslaw Binienda (2-42, 2 KO) and Genadij Krajevskij (0-47). As shocking as this may seem to some, Paul will be Fury’s toughest test to date. That is not a praise of Paul but an exemplification of how poor Fury’s opposition has been throughout his young career.
Stamina-wise, Paul will likely have an edge. He has fought a total of 22 rounds over his last three fights, while Fury has fought 10, and struggled to make it six last April against Daniel Bocianski. Furthermore, Fury is considered the professional, but has yet to fight in an eight-round contest. Meanwhile, Paul’s last four bouts have been scheduled for eight rounds, albeit against non-boxers. However, a concerted effort is being displayed here, something Fury still needs to improve.
Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Prediction
This will be a close fight, but I believe Paul will eke out a decision, with one judge potentially having it lopsided in favor of the latter. Boxing gains nothing from Fury winning the fight but everything to gain from a Jake Paul victory.
PREDICTION: Jake Paul by majority decision
