Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul was beaten by his long-time rival on Sunday night but will seek revenge by exercising his rematch clause.
The long-awaited fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury finally took place on February 26th, 2023, in Saudi Arabia. The pair's long-standing feud was finally settled, with Fury winning by a split decision.
The first clash between Fury and Paul
The two fighters had a bitter feud, which had led to two postponed fights in the past.
The first scheduled fight between Paul and Fury was supposed to take place on December 18th, 2021. However, due to an injury, Fury pulled out of the fight and was replaced by former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley instead.
The second scheduled fight between Paul and Fury was set for August 6th, 2022. However, Fury pulled out of the bout due to some visa issues, with Rahman Jr. coming in overweight, and all sales towards the fight were refunded, reports Marca.
After the cancellation of the second fight, Paul and Fury finally faced each other on February 26th, 2023, in Saudi Arabia.
Boxer versus Youtuber
Fury started the better fighter, showing his experience with good work from long-range against the powerful Paul. However, after a scrappy start, Paul began to grow into the fight by landing punches with a strong overhand right. In the fifth round, he was warned for one particular punch and was deducted a point.
Fury looked to have Paul rattled with his combinations when he chose to use them, but in the closing stages, things closed up after Fury was also deducted a point. He went to the ground in the final round, insisting he had slipped but it was a good showing from Paul, lasting the full eight rounds.
According to Sky Sports, the judges scored the fight as follows: 75-74 Paul, 76-73 Fury, and 76-73 Fury. With this win, Fury earned a WBC cruiserweight ranking and continued his impressive unbeaten boxing record of nine wins.
After the fight, Paul blamed his performance on a pair of illnesses and an arm injury suffered in training camp. The 'Problem Child' explained:
'Honestly, I felt flat. I got sick really bad twice in this camp, and injured my arm. It wasn't my best performance, but I lost. I'm not making excuses, I'm just saying it wasn't my best performance, I felt a little flat.'
He still praised Fury, though:
'All respect to Tommy, he won, don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses. I’ll come back, I thought I deserve that rematch, it was a great fight, a close fight.'
Paul’s fight purse was around $3.2m, but he also took home 65 percent of the pay-per-view money, taking his overall prize money to $8.6m including sponsorships.
Meanwhile, Fury reportedly received a $2m purse and 35 percent of the PPV share, totaling a take-home fee of around $4.5m, writes Manchester Evening News.
Will there be a heated rematch?
Paul confirmed in the build-up to the fight that there is a rematch clause in his contract for a second contest later this year. The Youtuber said he intended to use a rematch clause that could be exercised if Fury won.
'I just talked to Tommy back in the medical room, and he’s like, ‘Let’s go, let’s do it again.’ And and he’s down for it. So I think that that will be the focus first and foremost. I’m gonna prove that I can go and fight a better fight than I did tonight and get that W.'
Fury said after the fight that he is interested in a rematch, which would take place before the end of 2023, while Paul also talked up the prospect post-fight.
Before losing to Tommy Fury, Paul garnered an impressive record of six wins, including four knockouts. Fury, however, was the first professional boxer Paul faced.
Read more:
⋙ Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury: When is the fight and how to watch it
⋙ Jake Paul believes this is why Tommy Fury withdrew from their fight again
