Why YouTube star Jake Paul will beat professional boxer Tommy Fury…
- Lewis Oldham
- 4 December 2021
‘The Problem Child’ and ‘TNT’ finally meet in the ring on December 18 in Tampa, here Lewis Oldham breaks down why the YouTuber will defeat Tyson Fury’s brother...
It has been three months since we last saw Jake Paul step into a boxing ring.
For his fourth professional bout, he faced former UFC world champion Tyron Woodley. This was a big step up for the YouTuber compared to his previous bouts and he fared well.
Paul was in control for much of the eight-round contest as he triumphed via split decision.
Interestingly, Tommy Fury featured on the undercard that night along with his Queensberry Promotions stablemate Daniel Dubois.
An added story element to Fury's USA debut was that he fought Anthony Taylor - who is Paul's sparring partner.
It's fair to say that Taylor - with a 0-1 record - was not the best opponent Fury will ever face. The Brit won via unanimous decision but he was not at all convincing.
Paul and Fury exchanged words at the end of the night and it was finally announced last month that the rivals would square off on December 18 in Tampa, Florida. Understandably, Fury is the favourite to win this fight in the eyes of the bookies.
This was always going to be the case, given his family lineage and his background in the sport. If you take this fight by its bare bones, Fury would be the obvious winner. But this is not your ordinary pay-per-view headliner…
This fight will take place on Showtime in the States and it will be broadcast in the early hours in the UK on BT Sport Box Office.
It is very rare that a fight between two relative novices headlines a PPV, however a fight of this magnitude was always going to be top of the bill. Fury has taken a traditional path into professional boxing so far, as he has fought journeymen to build up his unbeaten record while he's still inexperienced.
Against low calibre opponents, he has done this. But this upcoming fight is his first as a headliner on any show, never mind on PPV. Headlining on PPV in front of thousands of fans is a totally different ball game to starring on Love Island.
Whilst Jake enjoys afternoons in the arcade playing dance mat with his side ting…. I thought I’d take 5 minutes out from the best camp of my life to say NOTHING can save you now. DECEMBER 18th, you’ll see that you can’t come in my world and not get hurt 🤡 pic.twitter.com/ukVC9mxPQu
— Tommy Fury (@tommytntfury) November 14, 2021
With Paul, despite him only having four pro fights, all but one of his bouts have been PPV main events.
His knockout win versus ex-NBA star Nate Robinson is the only fight on his record that was not a main event - though it was on the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr undercard.
The fact is that even with him having less fights, Paul has had much more experience fighting as part of huge events, and this will stand him in good stead against Fury. Paul's first three wins came via TKO/KO inside the opening two rounds.
But last time out, he went the distance with Woodley. Fury meanwhile has won on points three times, but he is yet to fight past four rounds as a pro. Simply put, there are more doubts surrounding Fury in this fight than Paul, which is baffling given that the latter is not exactly a fully-fledged boxer.
From what we've seen from the YouTuber so far, we know what to expect from him. He showed more skill against Woodley than he has previously. Yet his best asset is his punch power, and he will be looking to get Fury out of there.
Tommy's affiliation with Tyson Fury gives him credibility even before he steps into the ring. Though he is nowhere near the class of Tyson. This is not the be all and end all as the 'Gypsy King' is a special talent and a true great of the modern era.
Tommy is on the opposite end of the scale, as his performances so far have left much to be desired. His world heavyweight champion brother is in camp with him currently, but this can only take him so far.
John Fury is adamant that his son will come out victorious. He has made an interesting point that the only way Tommy loses is if he bottles it under the limelight. 'Big John' has threatened to retire Tommy even if he struggles to beat Paul. So the pressure is all on Fury...
Given his celebrity status outside of the sport, Fury's appetite to be a boxer has rightly been questioned. If his mindset is not on the money, he is under threat of being embarrassed by the YouTuber.
Paul's mind games over the next few weeks will at the very least play on Fury subconsciously, as 'The Problem Child' is a master of getting under people's skin. This is Paul's toughest fight to date, but the last couple of years have set him up for this challenge.
Fury meanwhile is at a crossroads. If he loses here, his sporting career will come crumbling down as boxing fans and his family will never let him live it down.
As he's taking that long walk to the ring on December 18, this mounting pressure will take its toll and Paul will punish the Brit...
