boxing
- The Brit wins despite being knocked down in the eighth round
- Both fighters will earn millions from much-hyped fights
In a huge victory for reality TV stars over social media personalities, Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul by an eight-round split decision in their much-hyped boxing match Sunday night.
Paul, who made his fortune as a YouTube prank before turning to boxing in recent years, had got off to a respectable start to his fighting career before Sunday, posting a 6-0 record despite some of his opponents being of questionable quality.
Jake Paul’s mundane boxing cosplay is a farce the sport could learn from Bryan Armen Graham
Fury was a tougher test. While Paul is a social media personality with a sideline in boxing, Fury is a boxer with a sideline in social media. He is the younger half-brother of World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and was undefeated when he got into his fight with Paul, winning all nine of his fights, four of them by KO. But for many people, at least in the UK, he’s more famous for coming runner-up in Love Island season five.
The fight almost inevitably took place in Saudi Arabia, home of dubious sports projects. The fight had been postponed twice, once when Fury suffered an injury leading up to the fight and again last summer when the Brit was denied entry to the United States.
The fight went as many expected, with Fury in control for a long time thanks to his effective jab which allowed him to survive some scrappy aggression from Paul. The 26-year-old American even dropped his opponent in the eighth round, but Fury had done enough by then to secure the win by split decision (74-75, 76-73, 76-73). Fury was docked a point for excessive clinching, while the referee deducted a point from Paul for holding his opponent’s head down during a clinch.
“I’ve won everything in life,” Paul said after the fight. “I’ve made it further than I ever thought possible and beyond. This is a humbling experience. I’ll put it on my chin and come back.”
Fury believes the win was the most important of his life. “I had a dream, I had a vision that I was going to win this fight but nobody believed me,” Fury said. “Now I can stand up and everyone can see it… This is a world championship fight for me, I’ve trained so hard for it.”
Both men will come out of the fight much richer. If pay-per-view earnings are factored in, Paul is expected to make around $8.6 million and Fury $4.5 million.
Given those totals, it’s not surprising that Paul said he’s ready for a rematch. “100% let’s go back,” he said.
Several former and current boxing champions were ringside to watch the spectacle, including Mike Tyson, Deontay Wilder, Devin Haney and Tyson Fury, who had been vocal in his brother’s support leading up to the fight. Other famous figures in the crowd included comedian Kevin Hart and Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently signed for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}{{/choiceCards}}We will contact you to remind you to contribute. Look for a message in your inbox in . If you have any questions about the post, please contact us.