Jake Paul Wants to Silence Doubters in Cruiserweight Bout With Tommy Fury

Posted on: February 25, 2023, 07:38h. 

Last updated on: February 26, 2023, 01:48h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More

Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

UPDATE (4 pm ET) – This article has been updated to include odds on the Paul-Fury fight at Circa Sports in Nevada and BetMGM in Arizona. (Sunday, 2 PM ET) Added states where DraftKings is taking bets on the fight.

It appears the third time is the charm for Jake Paul and Tommy Fury to meet up in the boxing ring.

The two, both social media stars and budding fighters, are scheduled to fight Sunday in Saudi Arabia. While it’s not a title bout, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has created a special belt for the match, claiming in a statement it’s a way “to recognize the importance” of the bout that “continues to support the growth of our sport by attracting thousands of new viewers.”

And even though the bout is scheduled for eight rounds, the WBC said the winner of the match will be ranked in its cruiserweight division. Both fighters are undefeated, and both have registered four knockouts in their bouts.

Fury and Paul initially agreed to fight each other in December 2021. However, Fury broke a rib in training, forcing him to withdraw from the fight. They rescheduled it for August at Madison Square Garden. Then, the US would not allow Fury to enter the country.

Sunday’s bout was officially announced a month ago.

Boxers Call Out Each Other

Paul (6-0), a former child actor now followed by millions on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, said in the final pre-match press conference that he’s excited to square off against Fury, because he believes it gives him a chance to quiet his doubters. Critics have pointed out that his previous fights have been against former MMA stars or other athletes and not boxers. In addition, Anderson Silva, Ben Askren, Nate Robinson, and Tyron Woodley – who has fought Paul twice – all were much older than the 26-year-old.

Paul, in a Thursday press conference with Fury (8-0), admitted his critics are right about that, but that also makes this fight against the 23-year-old Fury so important.

I always take every fight seriously… So, when Tommy says that he’s been doing this his whole life, none of that means anything to me,” Paul told reporters. “I’ve always trained harder and tougher than all of my opponents. And I want it more. I have more of a why. I have more of a purpose. I’m Tommy’s end goal. This is the biggest opportunity of his life. He’s never been on a stage like this.”

And Paul added Thursday that he’s studied his opponent carefully in the ring. Fury has a great jab and moves well, but he also “makes a lot of mistakes,” according to Paul.

According to the tale of the tape, Paul’s an inch taller than the 6-foot Fury, but Fury’s 80-inch reach is four inches longer than Paul’s.

Fury is the younger brother of current lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, and he has visions of becoming a title holder too. The younger Fury has some of the bravado of his older brother, telling Paul during the presser that he “should have stuck to making easy money fighting old men and celebrities.”

Fury, who starred on Great Britain’s version of the reality show Love Island, also expects a quick bout.

“You’re getting put to sleep inside four rounds,” Fury told his opponent. “Let me tell you, I’m not an old man. I’m a fresh, young fighter. I’m going to put you away.”

Paul a Slight Favorite on Sunday

Fury might be younger and the first real boxer Paul has faced. Still that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from installing Paul as the favorite.

However, if you’re looking to place a bet on the fight in a licensed US sportsbook, you might not have much of a selection. Or any at all.

Out in Arizona, Unibet also has Paul at -143, but its odds on Fury are a little higher, at +116. BetMGM in that state has it at -135 for Paul, even money for Fury.

In Nevada, Circa Sports makes Paul a -155 favorite, with Fury available at +135 as of Saturday afternoon.

DraftKings is taking wagers on the bout in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, and Wyoming. As of Sunday morning (ET), DraftKings offered Paul at -155 and Fury at +125.

One sports betting operator that won’t offer odds on the fight is Betr, the microbetting app Paul co-founded with Joey Levy less than a year ago. Right now, Betr, licensed in Ohio, only offers in-game betting markets on basketball, baseball, and football games.

In the US, the Paul-Fury fight card will air on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The cost is $49.99. The broadcast starts at 2 pm ET, but the Paul-Fury fight will likely start about a couple of hours later.