YouTube boxing icon Jake Paul and professional boxer Tommy Fury went head to head against each other in February in Saudi Arabia. Despite the hype ,the bout between both fighters was delayed for almost 2 years before it materialized. Many boxing fans and boxers wanted to judge Paul’s credibility as a boxer since he was going against Tyson Fury’s younger brother.
Jake Paul had built a name for himself defeating washed-out MMA fighters. He even managed to defeat MMA legend Anderson Silva who was doing pretty well in his boxing career. With Tommy Fury being an undefeated professional boxer he was highly favored to finally defeat the problem child.
Since the British boxer was also the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, many more fans sided with him. The bout began with Fury maintaining the upper hand with his jabs. However, Paul kept on gaining momentum as the bout progressed.
While Jake managed to keep up with Tommy Fury he still got outclassed inside the ring. Although, Jake also had his moments as he stunned Fury in the fifth and dropped him in the eighth round. By that point, it was too late as the final bell rang and the decision was in the hands of the judges.
Fury wins by split decision!#FuryPaul
— Fairplay Exchange (@Fairplayapp) February 26, 2023
One judge scored the fight 75-74 in Jake’s favor and two judges scored it 76-73 in Tommy’s favor handing Jake his first loss of his pro boxing career, via split decision. Tommy Fury had become the first fighter to defeat Jake Paul and finish his hype. While Paul talked about a rematch, it wasn’t ever brought up later.
In the end, Paul came out of the ring with a record of six wins and one loss. Meanwhile, Tommy Fury extended his undefeated record with nine wins. Although one of them clearly lost, both fighters made a huge amount for their bout in Saudi Arabia.
Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury : PPV buys and fight purse
The boxing match between social media influencer Jake Paul and Tommy Fury was delayed twice before it happened in Saudi Arabia. Due to the constant delay, Paul had managed to increase the hype around his fight with a professional boxer for the first time. Things had gotten to the point where Tommy Fury’s family revealed that the 24-year-old would give up his last name if he lost.
While Tommy got to keep his last name, Jake Paul walked away with the biggest paycheck. The Problem Child was guaranteed a base salary of $3.2 million with a 65 percent PPV Bonus Share. This made his total purse go up to $8.6 million which is justified given Paul was the center of the event.
Meanwhile, Tommy Fury was guaranteed pay of $2 million and 35 percent of PPV Bonus Share. Along with that he also received an extra million for his win, managing to walk away with $4.5- 5 million for the night.
Given the hype around the fight, it was graced by the presence of many big names. Boxing legend Mike Tyson along with Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury were spotted ringside for the bout. Along with them Christiano Ronaldo and comedian Kevin Hart were also spotted at the event.
CONFIRMED: Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury has done 775,000 PPV SALES ✅ pic.twitter.com/5qLycFofdK
— MVP Updates (@mvpupdates_) March 3, 2023
With so much hype around the fight, the card was projected to do great numbers. Jake Paul revealed the event did over 500,000 buys. It was later confirmed by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions that the fight had done 775,000 PPV sales.
According to their contract, Paul could have opted for a rematch with the British boxer. However, both fighters seemed to have moved on from the idea of another fight. Will Jake Paul and Tommy Fury fight again next year? Tell us in the comments below.