The world of combat sports often runs on a busy and hectic schedule. Among the many events lined up this weekend, which include championship bouts and top contender matchups, perhaps the fight with the least credibility is the biggest.
On Sunday, Jake Paul will face Tommy Fury in a boxing match that has been in the making for over a year. Paul is a YouTube star-boxer. Fury is a reality TV star from the United Kingdom and notably the half-brother of boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Their eight-round 185-pound catchweight bout will take place in Saudi Arabia and will be available on pay-per-view via ESPN+.
So how did this fight between two unfinished boxers become one of the highlights of the combat sports world? And more importantly, what is the point of this fight?
Some may see this as the next step in the growth of the Paul phenomenon that continues to disrupt the fighting sport. Others might see it as the Fury boxing bloodline stepping up to serve up a reality check, getting their hands on a high-end boxing career that has so far not required a real boxer to take on an opponent. not included as such.
Not wrong either.
Respect to Jake Paul…kind of
“He keeps going on and on about Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley,” Fury said at the pre-fight news conference on Thursday, scoffing at Paul’s protest. “Tyron Woodley was 40 years old. Anderson Silva was about 50, not too far from my dad’s age, and he ran the entire distance.
“Everybody in this building knows that MMA fighters are not boxers. We all know that. I’ve ripped apart every single MMA fighter I’ve dealt with in my entire life. They’re not boxers, and this guy’s going to deal with them.” Neither could. … Sunday night, you have a fresh, young 23-year-old, the proper legitimate fighter in and out of the ring. This is my heart, blood, and soul, and you’re going to feel it. I am not a man of 50 years.
Credit to Paul for stepping into the ring again. This is not an easy matter. But his opposition has been dubious at best.
The former Disney actor started his boxing career with a win over YouTuber AnEsonGib, who had no boxing experience. He then stopped former NBA player Nate Robinson. It was celebrity boxing to a large extent.
Shortly thereafter, things took a turn and a lucrative “boxing” career became one of the most talked about careers of today. Paul chose aging, but popular MMA names strangely claim a stake in the boxing landscape.
In 2020, he knocked out retired MMA fighter and standout wrestler Ben Askren, who was coming out of hip surgery. Then, in a two-bout series, he outpointed and then brutally floored former UFC welterweight champion Woodley – a 40-year-old who had just been released from the UFC after losing four fights in a row. Woodley, who hasn’t won a fight since 2018, was never known as a skilled striker in MMA, although he possessed tremendous power.
And in their most recent showdown last October, Paul defeated beloved MMA veteran Silva in a unanimous decision. Silva, arguably the greatest middleweight champion in UFC history, left the Las Vegas-based promotion in late 2020 on a worrying career slump.
The 47-year-old was stopped in his two most recent bouts and has only one win in his last nine trips to the Octagon. Once outside the UFC, he cleaned things up before facing Paul by winning two boxing fights – knocking out Julio Cesar Chaves Jr. and knocking out Tito Ortiz.
Tommy Fury also has a skeleton
“His opponents have a combined record of 20 wins and 250 losses. … He’s never been paired with someone who wasn’t there to lose,” Paul said in calling Fury’s record into question. So on Sunday, when he was warming up in the locker room, he was thinking, ‘Damn, everybody’s set up to lose. They’re putting me in there with the scrubs, and now I have the real fight – eight rounds.’
“He’s never been able to make eight rounds. Throwing him in deep water is going to drown him. I promise that.”
For accuracy’s sake, Paul’s math is off. Fury’s opposition record is not that bad. Combined, Fury’s last eight opponents have shared a record of 24-176 – which still isn’t great.
Blood coursed through Fury’s veins. His father John was a professional boxer and bareback fighter. His half-brother Tyson is arguably one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history. No doubt the dynasty is strong. And whether you like the opposition or not, Fury has been fighting proper boxers, something Paul can’t say he’s done.
But it’s still hard to argue that Fury is a more accomplished boxer than Paul. Fury has yet to mount a serious challenge, and his career has mainly been against obscure and subpar competition. His record is also under question.
It’s not for nothing that “making a record” or having several “tune-up fights” in the beginning is a common practice for budding boxers. Young boxers, such as the 23-year-old Fury, often don’t fight against much younger competition as they rise through the ranks and gain experience.
Fury’s upbringing in boxing is typical and simple, and his criticism of Paul’s boxing career is justified. Yet there is another side to the story as well. Largely the fault of boxing culture, Fury needn’t look only across the ring to find the only unproven resume in Tape’s story.
So who is the real fighter, and who will win?
Your opinion of who has the more legitimate claim to fame in the world of boxing is largely answered by your prediction of what the result will be in Saudi Arabia.
For Paul’s team, this is progress in a rising fighting career and another milestone in the Fury journey.
“You look at the likes of Floyd Mayweather – his ninth fight, not his seventh – his ninth fight was against a 1-3 boxer,” Paul’s business partner and manager Nikisa Bidarian told the press conference when Paul’s record was questioned. I went. “Gervonta Davis, one of the most talked about current boxers in the world, the eighth fight was against a guy who was making his debut, never fought again, and was 1-2 as an MMA fighter.
“So are we concerned about protecting Jake as an asset? No, Jake’s focus is on hurling boxing, taking risks, and organizing brilliantly.
Bidarian defended his client’s boxing record and dared to compare it with some of boxing’s greats. The appointed “professional risk taker” takes another step at disrupting the fight game on Saturday.
Legitimate or not, Paul brings up a factor only seen in high-level fighting: the pressure of a big fight. Paul is far from being the most skilled fighter of this combat sports weekend, but the most talked about. Fury will be kept in the spotlight as before.
“We don’t pressure. We’re here to fight,” John Fury said of his son. “He’s been around the stage most of his life. When he first started out, he was supposed to do the big thing – Tyson Fury’s brother. He has been under pressure since the beginning.
“This kid survives under pressure, and believe me, I wouldn’t have my son sitting here if I didn’t think he could deliver. There is no way my son would disrespect our great champion at Tyson Fury. We are going to see something special in this great country.”
Although this boxing match may get the high-level fighting treatment — fight pay, ESPN+, coverage, social media chatter — without it, there’s still an earned degree of respect for Paul and Fury.
After all, Paul is working hard and taking the game seriously. He has also primarily fought against opposition that has more experience fighting him. As for Fury, it would be foolish to think that he is just a reality TV star living up to his family name in the world of boxing. Fury is an unbeaten 8-0 boxer who is part of a prestigious fighting family.