Tommy Fury beats Jake Paul by split decision and sheds tears of joy in Saudi Arabia… although Brit is KNOCKED DOWN in the final round as both fighters deducted points in a scrappy contest
- Tommy Fury cried in the ring after being declared the winner in Saudi Arabia
- Paul couldn’t handle Fury’s boxing skills but the promised KO never materialized
- Loser Jake Paul suggested the rematch clause be asserted for a second fight
Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul by split decision in Saudi Arabia – but it wasn’t without drama and controversy.
Fury ended up being the legitimate victor – the judges called the fight 76-73, 76-73, 74-75 in his favor – but with a point deducted and a knockdown against his name, it was far from easy.
This fight between the British former Love Island contestant and an American of YouTube fame was the result of over two years of social media warfare, with a clash only culminating on the third occasion.
Fury was forced to withdraw from the two previously agreed contests and was bombarded with claims he was afraid to fight the seemingly less decorated boxer in Paul.
The 23-year-old always claimed he had to cut short his dates with Paul due to justifiable injury and visa issues. It’s no wonder, after finally proving himself right, that the Mancunian was moved to tears when he was declared the winner.
Tommy Fury (above) beat Jake Paul in their much-anticipated clash on Sunday night
Fury and Paul went toe-to-toe in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night. Fury defeated Paul via split decision – one judge scored 75-74 for Paul and the other two scored 76-73 for Fury
This much-anticipated fight between the British ex-Love Island contestant and an American made famous by YouTube was the culmination of over two years of social media warfare
In the fight, TNT appeared as the more stylish and composed fighter from the first round. He had a clean style based around his left jab that Paul really struggled with.
Paul carries power and that seemed to have Fury’s respect. The first two laps were fairly easy for Fury as he jabbed his way out of Paul’s sweet spot.
Paul couldn’t get his upper hand right, but he had more success in the third round when he stopped knocking out Fury as promised and tried boxing with him.
In the fifth round, Paul was deducted a point for hitting Fury in the back of the head. Already trailing 1-3 on most scorecards, the YouTube star needed nothing short of a knockout from that point on.
Paul rarely had the momentum of a fight. He just wanted to land his favorite overhand right and Fury showed enough skill to negate that threat – although his bloody nose showed all of Paul’s efforts weren’t in vain.
In the sixth round, the referee took a point from Fury for the save, giving Paul hope he was back within reach. That gave Paul another life, but Fury still had far greater class in the general exchanges.
In the last round the controversy came and if the script was indeed fake earlier in the day, it didn’t matter if someone conjured up a new one.
Fury dedicated his win to his new daughter Bambi and longtime girlfriend Molly-Mae
Paul managed to land a couple of good punches and even took Fury down in the last round of the fight
Paul was devastated after the fight, blaming both illness and an arm injury for the loss
Fury was left in tears after proving himself correct in his biggest fight yet against the 26-year-old
Despite two years of hostilities, Paul and Fury had plenty of respect by the end of the competition
Both fighters have said they would be open to a rematch after a thrilling fight on Sunday night
Fury was knocked down in the opening seconds of the final lap but the Brit insisted he slipped and just put one hand on the canvas. Replays show he lost footing with his lead leg, but at the same time Paul landed a flush jab.
By the end of the contest, Fury had his hand raised and Paul didn’t seem like he was going to dispute that too much. The pair shared another beautiful moment there as Fury shed tears after the win. What a reflection of how far Jake Paul has come!
The stars came out to watch the fight, which was over two years in the making. Tyson Fury supported his brother, of course, but old nemesis Deontay Wilder also made the trip and he was joined by heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Hollywood A-lister Kevin Hart.