Jake Paul v Tommy Fury: YouTuber favourite for Saudi showdown
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Paul v Fury betting odds, preview and talking points
The world of boxing and YouTube will again collide on Sunday when Tommy Fury and Jake Paul do battle in a cruiserweight contest for a WBC ranking at Diriyah Arena.
Plenty will be on the line for both men in Saudi Arabia with Fury defending his family name and future career while Paul will be eager to take a big step into becoming a legitimate professional boxer.
Several YouTubers have donned boxing gloves over recent years and here we take a look at the growing trend plus the Paul v Fury odds.
KSI the catalyst?
British YouTuber KSI got the ball rolling when he knocked out fellow social media star Joe Weller at Copper Box Arena in 2018 in what was effectively white-collar boxing with headgear worn, but it caught the imagination and six months later an even bigger bout occurred.
Manchester Arena hosted KSI’s amateur boxing fight against American YouTuber Logan Paul on August 25, 2018 with their brothers Deji Olatunji and Jake Paul also squaring off on the undercard.
Press conferences took place in Los Angeles and London after tickets, which ranged from £30 to £495, were snapped up. A total of £1.3million pay-per-view buys worldwide were generated on YouTube in addition to 80,000 live purchases on other websites to make it the largest non-professional boxing match of all time.
When did promoters jump on the bandwagon?
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn promoted the rematch between KSI and Logan Paul at Staples Center on November 9, 2019 but this time it was a professional fight with no headgear and while Covid saw the world ground to a halt months later, YouTubers boxing did not lose its momentum.
Jake Paul founded Most Valuable Promotions in 2021 and snapped up Amanda Serrano while KSI teamed up with sports agency Wasserman Promotions to launch Misfits Boxing.
What would victory for Jake Paul mean?
While KSI started to focus on promoting exhibition boxing under his Misfits company and fighting in crossover events, Jake Paul has been involved in a number of professional fights and put himself on the verge of breaking through as the first YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Victory over Tommy Fury, the younger brother of Tyson Fury, in a cruiserweight bout would controversially earn him a WBC ranking. It is a fight that has generated a lot of criticism but also huge interest.
Good or bad for boxing?
Influencers turning their hand to boxing has brought the sport to a new and younger audience. The worry is the damage that could occur if more social media stars step into the ring with professionals.
Bookmakers are backing Jake Paul to beat Tommy Fury but Paul would likely be the exception to the rule given how hard he has worked to reach this point and his dedication in recent years.
Exhibitions have worked alongside boxing hand-in-hand for years and regardless of this weekend’s result, it feels that is the way it should stay with YouTubers fighting in amateur bouts and professional ranks remaining exactly that – for professionals only.
What the fighters have said
Jake Paul: “The moment of truth has finally arrived. On February 26, I will get in the ring with a ‘real boxer,’ an 8-0 fighter from a storied fighting family and show the world the truth about who Jake Paul, the boxer, really is.”
All or nothing… a 'delicious' deal 👀💸
It's all heating up between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury 🥊#PaulFury | BT Sport Box Office pic.twitter.com/6PzoKOY1l2
— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) February 23, 2023
Tommy Fury: “Jake Paul’s boxing career ends on February 26 and I can finally move on with mine.
“Every time I go out right now, everybody asks me about the Jake Paul fight. After this fight is done, everybody will be asking me how it felt to knock Jake Paul out. The world is about to see what happens when a proper boxer faces a YouTuber.
“I am a professional boxer, I have had eight undefeated bouts, soon to be nine! Jake Paul will regret ever thinking he could take me on. I will put him in his place, the canvas!
“The way I see this fight, it’s as though I’m cruising down route 66 on my way to fighting for titles and belts and I need to stop off for a bit of fuel, get the job done and then we’re back on the road.
“It won’t be a long fight. I have been training hard and have the best team around me. Jake Paul makes a lot of noise outside the ring but the only sound we are going to hear in the ring is him hitting the canvas.”
Paul v Fury odds
Paul is the 4/5 favourite with Coral for Sunday night’s big fight while Fury is the 6/5 underdog, with the draw priced at 12/1.
Coral’s Lewis Knowles said: ‘’Many will be surprised that somebody with the boxing pedigree of Tommy Fury is not the favourite for this fight, but Jake Paul has won all six of his previous bouts, and although this possibly presents a sterner test, many punters believe the American is capable of getting the win.”
Although his career has yet to reach anything like the heights of his brother Tyson’s, Tommy Fury is also unbeaten, having won each of his first eight fights, but the calibre of his previous opponents is open to question, and this could be his toughest test to date.
“Jake Paul has won four of his six previous bouts by knockout, so no doubt the 5/2 available about him winning again by that method will be popular between now and Sunday evening,” added Knowles.
The fight will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport Box Office.
All odds and markets correct at date of publication
