February 26, 2023
Tommy Fury defeats youtuber Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia
For all the promotion and the hype that lead up to Tommy Fury, the younger brother of reigning heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, and Jake Paul – the Youtuber that claims to be a boxer yet has never fought an actual boxer until now, it sure was a lackluster affair.
Neither of the two deserve to be headlining a pay-per-view event at this stage in their respective careers, but with social media being what it is, a so-called influencer is able to make millions of dollars without having paid his dues coming up through the traditional boxing system. Say what you will about the low quality of fighter that Tommy Fury has faced – but he has at least fought eight boxers in his young career, whereas Paul has manipulated the system and had several contests against retired MMA fighters that also have no boxing pedigree.
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And even then, every single one of those fights were mired in controversy and allegations over being fixed fights. Even Paul’s tattoo’s are seemingly fake.
Paul’s antics have long been criticized for making a mockery of one of the eldest sports in history, effectively turning boxing into a circus sideshow. Similar to how Connor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather used the sport to line their own pockets back in 2017. Both times a phony belt had to be introduced to facilitate the WWE like ambience of the freak show.
This was a fight that lasted eight rounds but never properly got underway. Paul’s reluctance to box was apparent from the start, with him constantly looking to clinch and tie Fury up. A tactic used to avoid being punched. Given the poor footwork of Paul, and his inability to dance his way out of an exchange, he was left with little choice but to grasp and hang on for dear life. Paul’s inexperience was evident throughout the entire contest. He planted himself like a tree and made himself a sitting duck for Fury to jab and punch.
Referee Hector Afu had a rough night, rightfully deducting a point from Paul for illegal punches to the back of Fury’s head – then issuing multiple warnings later in the fight for the exact same infraction without taking further points. Throughout the bout, Paul kept on clinching and hugging Fury, yet Afu once again got it wrong, and deducted a point from Fury for effectively being hugged by Paul. But the biggest mistake make by Afu, was to call a Fury’s late-fight slip a knockdown, giving Paul a 10-8 round.
Fury while certainly not dominant, won every round of the contest. Paul’s one shining moment came when he landed a jab on Fury as he slipped, sending Fury to the canvas – but the referee got the call wrong, once again, and ruled it a knock down. Paul spent more time trying to clinch and tie up Fury than he did trying to land punches on him, while Fury landed more than twice the amount of punches as Paul did. While Fury seemed to focus too much on trying to land the haymaker that would put Paul to sleep, he also didn’t have much to worry about in terms of return fire.
If Tommy Fury were able to move about the ring as Tyson Fury or Billy Joe Saunders does, this fight would have been over with quick, and that is perhaps something Tommy Fury wants to look at for future fights.
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After eight rounds, the fight went to the judges for a decision. Fury emerged victorious with a split decision victory – but the score cards of 75-74, 76-73, 76-73 made the fight seem a great deal closer than it actual was. The win moves Fury to a record of 9 wins, no losses and will now be WBC ranked. While Paul’s record stands at 0-1, as exhibition fights against retired MMA fighters and basketball players don’t count towards a professional record as they are unsanctioned contests.
Unfortunately, there is a rematch clause which means this circus sideshow will see another go around.
