Tommy Fury edges out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul by split decision | Boxing

In a huge victory for reality TV stars over social media personalities, Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul by an eight-round split decision in their highly publicized boxing match on Sunday night.

Paul, who made his fortune as a prankster on YouTube before turning to boxing in recent years, had enjoyed a respectable start to his fighting career before Sunday, compiling a 6-0 record, although some of his opponents were of questionable quality. .

Fury was a tougher test. While Paul is a social media personality with a boxing sideline, Fury is a boxer with a social media sideline. He is the younger half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and was undefeated in his fight with Paul, winning all nine of his fights, four by knockout. But for many people, at least in the UK, he is most famous for finishing second in the fifth season of Love Island.

The fight, almost inevitably, took place in the birthplace of questionable sports projects, Saudi Arabia. The fight had been postponed twice, once when Fury injured himself in the build-up to the fight and again last summer when the Briton was refused entry to the United States.

The fight went to plan with Fury controlling long stretches with his effective jab surviving a rambling assault from Paul. The 26-year-old American even dropped his opponent in the eighth round but Fury had already done enough to secure the split decision victory (74-75, 76-73, 76-73). Fury lost a point for an excessive clinch while the referee took a point from Paul for holding his opponent’s head down during a clinch.

“I’ve won every way in life before,” Paul said after the fight. “I went further than I ever imagined, and beyond. It’s a humbling experience. I’ll take it on the chin and come back.

Fury thinks the victory was the most important of his life. “I had a dream, I had a vision that I would win this fight, but no one believed me,” Fury said. “Now I can stand up and everyone can take notice… This is a world title fight for me, I trained so hard for it.”

The two men will leave the fight much richer. When pay-per-view revenue is factored in, Paul is expected to earn around $8.6 million and Fury around $4.5 million.

Unsurprisingly given these sums, Paul said he was ready for a rematch. “100%, let’s resume,” he said.

Several former and current world boxing champions were at ringside to watch the spectacle, including Mike Tyson, Deontay Wilder, Devin Haney and Tyson Fury, who had been a strong supporter of his brother in the build-up to the fight. Other famous figures in the crowd were comedian Kevin Hart and Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently signed for Saudi club Al Nassr.