Anthony Taylor was a sparring partner of Jake Paul’s before being beaten by Tommy Fury over four rounds – and he’s made a definitive pick on how their upcoming scrap will play out.
Taylor – a former MMA fighter now stalwart of the crossover boxing scene – helped the American prepare for his fights against retired MMA stars, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
He then fought Fury on the undercard of the Woodley fight, taking him the distance but losing definitively.
Despite that loss, Taylor told SunSport he believes Paul to be a clear winner on February 26 in Saudi Arabia.
“Jake is just going to outbox Tommy. He’s just a far better boxer. Jake is going to control him with his countering. Jake is more flexible and more fluid than Tommy, he’s got a higher ring IQ.
“Jake is going to dominate Tommy. Who knows? I can see a possible knockdown by Jake but I’ve got Jake winning by unanimous decision.”
Many in the boxing world believe Paul’s route to victory – if they think he has one at all – to be a stoppage. Others believe he may not lay a glove on Fury, who has some amateur experience.
Taylor believes that it’s his former sparring partner’s work in the gym that will be the difference come fight night.
“There’s no doubt about it that Jake’s the harder worker here, I’m not trying to say nothing bad about Tommy, he’s also a boxer and training hard but we haven’t seen a growth from Tommy.
“We haven’t seen a change nor an improvement, it’s just been the same Tommy Fury.He’s just getting by picking his opponents after me and figuring out who he wants to fight.
“That doesn’t do him any justice or good inside the ring. Jake is the bigger fighter, taller, smarter, faster and a lot more powerful than Tommy.”
Finally, Taylor encouraged punters to place bets if they felt Fury had the beating of Paul.
“How can people say it’s a 50/50? Just because he’s got long arms? Tommy has no ring IQ. All he does is throw wild punches, he doesn’t set nothing up, he just has long limbs, that’s it.
“If you think Tommy’s going to win, bet your money he’s gonna win. If you’re so confident, put $1,000 down. Don’t sit here and say, ‘Tommy’s going to win if you’re not going to put your money where your mouth is.”
Despite many traditionalists have little interested in the Paul-Fury bout, Taylor’s opinion highlights why it’s so intriguing – the predictions vary so wildly that it seems anything could happen.
To tune in, UK and US fans both will face a pay-per-view price.