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Tommy Fury Beats Jake Paul After Surviving Knockdown

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 26th February 2023.

Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury

Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul via split decision in Saudi Arabia, forcing the American upstart to face up to former statements that he doesn’t belong in the professional ring if defeated.

Watched on by Kevin Hart, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mike Tyson, Devin Haney, Deontay Wilder and more, the event was not only Jake Paul’s chance to prove he can fight, but to make sure people know he’s a draw in the sport of boxing – he ticked that off before even entering the ring. An eight-round catchweight bout with this much hype is unheard of.

Unfortunately for him, his skill lay in the promotion rather than inside the ropes.

Fury – who entered with a tribute to his newborn daughter, Bambi, plastered across his chest – looked the more comfortable on his ring walk, perhaps surprisingly. Jake Paul was booed.

In short, the Brit’s fundamentals were the difference. He had more impressive footwork and his jab was there to meet Paul with every lunge. The American learned tonight that there must be a plan B when plan A – searching for one big shot – doesn’t work.

That’s not to say he didn’t have success, though. Fury’s hands are kept dangerously low in the ring, and Paul found a home for his overhands on occasion. The Brit dealt with all shots well until the final round where he was knocked down with a flush jab. He claims a slip, but it looked like a balance issue paired with a well-timed shot.

With a closer look and minus the pageantry, it wasn’t a close fight in terms of skill. The fans who said Fury’s years of training would be the difference were correct, and anybody who said he couldn’t handle the pressure of his first eight-rounder being a main event was wrong.

A knockout loss would certainly be more damaging for Paul, but his display tonight makes his claims of world title competition in the near future laughable.

Scrappy, cuddly, novicey, bizarre refereeing at stages, but, entertaining.

The fight was miles and miles off world-level, for no real belt, and won’t have threatened any professional boxers in any way whatsoever. And yet, the result is incredibly emotionally impactful because of the hype surrounding it, built, of course, by the fighters themselves. This was their world title.

It was made on social media and, unfortunately for Paul, it will live there for a long time to come.

Elsewhere on the card…

Ilunga Makabu (C) vs Badou Jack – WBC Cruiserweight World Title – Jack TKO

Badou Jack ‘The Ripper’ was accompanied by Mike Tyson on his ring walk before he attempted to dethrone Ilunga Makabu to become a three-weight world champion – and he got a TKO to impress the heavyweight legend.

It came in the final round after Makabu touched the canvas three times throughout the fight. Jack’s speed and movement was the difference against a plodding champion who overcame some initial ring rust to win rounds.

There were plenty of good trade-offs, but Jack’s sharp, accurate shots ultimately won him a world title in a third division. The 39-year-old was valiant in victory.

Ziyad Almaayouf vs Ronnald Martinez – Welterweight – Almaayouf UD

Ziyad Almaayouf was too eager to please his home fans and was caught by a Martinez right hand that dropped him in the first. He made the count and hurt his opponent straight after.

The local boy clawed back the rounds whilst still taking shots, managing a unanimous decision, all three scores 38-37. Just as well – he’s the first signing of Skill Challenge Promotion and fancies himself to change the sport in Saudi.

Muhsin Cason vs Taryel Jafarov – Cruiserweight – Cason RTD 1

Muhsin ‘The Muslim Boxer’ Cason dropped Taryel Jafarov in the first round of their cruiserweight contest. Azerbaijan’s Jafarov made the count and fought on, but his corner refused to let him come out for the second.

Bader Samreen vs Viorel Simion – Lightweight – Samreen TKO 1

Bader Samreen scored the seventh knockout of his eight-fight lightweight career over Romania’s Viorel Simeon – sending him to the canvas in round one and rendering him unable to fight on.