Ask any boxing fan, and they will loudly proclaim that they never expected Jake Paul to get this far in boxing. What’s on the line for Sunday’s fight against Tommy Fury is a commemorative belt and an official ranking into the World Boxing Council top-40 cruiserweight division.
CBS reports that Fury is actually listed as the underdog in this fight with a -170 to a +145. For boxing fans who can’t be ringside, the entire match can be watched on ESPN+ PPV and get it now because the fight will be on Sunday starting at 2pm ET.
In total, Paul has six professional fights under his belt starting with a TKO against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib on Jan. 30, 2020, in The Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida. He went on to knock out Nate Robinson, get a TKO against Ben Askren, a decision against Tyron Woodley, then a knockout against Woodley in a second fight. He was awarded a unanimous decision against Anderson Silva in his most recent fight in October of last year.
Love him or hate him, no boxer has ever been at his level within six fights, and Paul stands to take home over $8 million based on projections of the purse and his portion of the pay-per-view money.
Not to be confused with famed boxer Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury is a professional boxer from the U.K. who took time off from boxing to star in a reality show in 2019. He started his professional career in 2018 and has eight wins, four by KO before going on the dating show, Love Island. Now, he’s back to fighting after finishing up in second with girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague and welcoming their daughter into the world just a month ago.
How to watch
Critics are all over this fight because a purse this big has never been awarded to any fighter in boxing history with the record these two have together. Duran versus Leonard, it may not be, but Paul versus Fury should be entertaining, to say the least, and what’s astounding is that there are some real boxing credentials to come out of it for the winner.
When asked about the fight, Paul bragged, “He’s never been on this big of a stage before, with this much of a spotlight, and this much pressure. I know he’s going to choke.”
“I’ve never been a man to speak about sparring sessions, but I can quietly confirm that sparring has been brutal,” Fury said in a statement about his training. “I’m dealing with people in the gym on a regular basis that would knock Jake Paul into next week. […] I will stop him from thinking he can transfer over to professional boxing.”
What’s left to see is what happens in the ring. What can’t be denied is Paul’s approach to the boxing industry has been completely out of the box, and he may have flipped the entire sport on its head.
