Derek Chisora – the unlikely promoter of Jake Paul versus Tommy Fury – has been doing his research to reveal who the local people in Saudi Arabia are backing.
The fight goes down in Diriyah, and sees the controversial Paul in what is billed as his first proper boxing test against Fury.
Whilst industry picks are varied and split, and the bookies have the American ahead slightly, the people of Saudi Arabia are backing Fury, according to Chisora.
“I will tell you this, on the bottom of my heart, all Saudis want Tommy to win.”
“They love him. They love how he is. He’s a family man. He’s got his new baby. He don’t come out and say this and this. He’s just a dad now. I get it. Middle East love people with family. If you’ve got a family, they love you.”
Fury has recently had a baby daughter, Bambi, with his partner, Molly-Mae Hague. He’s also backed by a strong family unit in the Fury’s, featuring his father and trainer, John, and, of course, brother Tyson – who is heavyweight champion of the world.
Chisora, a British heavyweight veteran and Tyson Fury’s last opponent, has found himself front and centre of the promotion after striking a deal with Skill Challenge and Prince Khalid of Saudi.
Both men made the 185lb weight limit and will put their undefeated records on the line in the Middle Easy. For the winner, a number in the WBC’s cruiserweright rankings awaits, as well as a trophy belt.
For the lost, embarrassment, in short. The pair have been supremely confident in saying that they will knock their opponent right, and only one can be correct.