Tommy Fury defeats Jake Paul

By Cameron McMillan

Jake Paul has suffered the first defeat of his boxing career in a massive boilover loss to Tommy Fury.

Fury stunned the boxing world in Saudi Arabia on Monday morning, getting up off the canvass to win via a split judges’ decision.

The undercard earlier delivered several explosive knockout wins and the drama went to another level in the main event.

Paul knocked Fury down in the final round but it was not enough to overcome Fury’s domination of the earlier rounds.

The judges awarded the victory to Fury via a 74-75, 76-73 x2 scorecard. Official stats showed Fury landed 88 punches compared to his opponent’s 49.

Both fighters after the fight agreed to a re-match.

There was earlier last-minute drama when the event was rocked by a fake so-called “script” being leaked by boxing rival, accusing the fight of being fixed.

Veteran fighter Mike Perry uploaded a photo to his Twitter page alleging it to be the “script” of the fight between Paul and Fury. Promoters have insisted the “script” is entirely false.

Just moments before making his walk to the ring, Paul said: “They came for a show and I’m going to put on a show.

“I’m excited, but really it’s just another sparring session. I’m gonna go out there, rob the bank, catch a body and go home.”

There were also boos from the crowd as Paul delayed the fight by several minutes, refusing to leave his dressing room in a blatant attempt to get into his opponent’s head.

Fury was also booed by the crowd as he was introduced in the ring by Michael Buffer.

Paul certainly delivered on his promise to put on a show and the Youtuber has won more respect as a legitimate fighter for his display in the ring.

Round by round scores show rollercoaster drama

Round 1 — Tommy Fury lands the best shot of the round with a one-two combination. Paul appeared to be hurt by the right hand that landed just seconds before the end of the round. Paul appeared to let one punch fly after the bell had already sounded.

Round 2 — An even round. Neither fighter was able to land a telling punch. Fury controlling the round with his jab. Combat sport journalist Peter Carroll posted on Twitter: “We’re only two rounds in, but I’m pretty sure Jake Paul has never been in a fight like this”.

Round 3 — A close round that could have gone either way.

Round 4 — Jake Paul appears to be working his opponent out. The American began to land some good shots. However, boxing coach Larry Wade told the international TV broadcast Fury looks “comfortable” in the ring. Compubox stats show Fury has landed 44 punches compared to Paul’s 27.

Round 5 — Jake Paul has been deducted a point for punching the back of Fury’s head. Despite this, the round is Paul’s best of the fight so far, landing an overhand right that appeared to hurt his opponent.

Round 6 — A cut has opened up under the left eye of Jake Paul. The social media sensation looks to be in trouble before the round is turned on its head when Fury is deducted a point for excessive holding. The referee is being slammed for his over-the-top officiating with commentators declaring the referee had no feel for how to officiate a fight between two mid-level boxers.

Round 7 — Both fighters look fatigued and the exchanges are getting messy. “This is what we call dirty boxing,” boxing TV commentator Ray Flores said. Paul likely leads the fight four rounds to three.

Round 8 — Fury is sensationally knocked down in the first minute of the final round. It is a complete mystery which way the judges will score the fight as a result of Paul’s late knockdown.

Jake Paul’s unorthodox career in boxing might just be about to get serious.

The YouTube influencer-turned-prize fighter will be coming up against a recognized professional boxer for the first time today when he takes on Tommy Fury, the half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Since venturing into boxing in 2018, Paul has fought a fellow influencer, a former NBA basketball player and three MMA fighters. He has won each time, building up his already-sturdy brand in the process.

Fighting Fury is widely regarded as a step up and the WBC, which is sanctioning the fight, recognizes it. Indeed, if the 26-year-old Paul — a blond, bearded social-media phenomenon — wins, he will be granted a place in the WBC’s world rankings at cruiserweight.

“Jake has dedication and respect to the sport,” the sanctioning body said, “and the WBC will not tolerate discrimination against anyone. He deserves the opportunities that any other boxer has.”

It’s hardly a move that will be popular with boxing traditionalists.

Then again, Paul is not exactly operating in those circles or attempting to please that demographic. He has forged a very different path into the boxing world and is making a success of it, given the fight against Fury has gotten pay-per-view status and is deemed big enough to be hosted for big money out in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Paul rose to fame a decade ago by posting Vine videos and then as an actor on Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. His rise as an influencer has not been without controversy, including accusations of sexual assault by two women in 2021 — he wasn’t charged with either — and his apparent use of racial slurs while rapping in some videos in 2018. He was also charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly in 2020 following a riot at a mall outside Phoenix.

Boxing is his most recent passion. He joined the pro ranks in 2019 and said he is “as serious as it gets” about the sport. He says he has a 30-person team supporting his training, which is largely done at the Cleveland native’s base in Puerto Rico.

“Because my life’s on the line,” he told British newspaper The Independent ahead of the Fury fight, “so I’m not going to take that lightly.”

Becoming a world champion boxer is his ultimate aim, even if that goal appeared even more remote with the news in January that Paul has signed a deal with the Professional Fighters League in mixed martial arts.

Certainly Fury doesn’t take his opponent seriously as a boxer.

“That’s like saying a pig is going to fly, isn’t it?” Fury said of Paul’s ambitions of becoming a world titleholder.

“I’m going to teach Jake Paul a lesson … I’m going to show him he can’t just pick up a pair of gloves and say, ‘I’m going to be a world champion.’”

Fury has an interesting back-story, too, and not just because he is the half-brother of one of the most famous boxers in the world and comes from a family of bare-knuckle fighters.

The 23-year-old Briton really made his name by appearing on Love Island, a dating reality TV show, in 2019. That forced him to put his boxing career on hold for nine months — he had only fought twice by that point — and he is now married to a British social-media influencer, Molly-Mae Hague, with whom Fury finished runner-up on Love Island.

Fury has an 8-0 boxing record but has never fought more than six rounds in a single bout. In that sense, he is also taking a step into the unknown this weekend, certainly when it comes to the global appeal of his opponent. Paul has 4.5 million followers on Twitter and 22 million followers on Instagram.

The fight was initially scheduled for December 2021 but Fury had to pull out because of illness and injury, and then again for August 2022 only for Fury to again withdraw because of travel issues going into the United States.

It will be held over eight rounds and Tyson Fury has given his half-brother something of an ultimatum ahead of the catchweight bout.

“I expect Tommy to chin him,” he told British radio station talkSPORT. “If he doesn’t, he can stay in Saudi Arabia.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission