Tommy Fury (8-0) put the war of words and egos to bed and defeated his long-time rival, Jake Paul (6-0), in an encounter which saw Fury collect himself from the canvas to secure victory. The event in Saudi Arabia gathered global interest and attention to both fighters along the pressure of their expectant fan bases to claim victory and served as a boiling pot under the lights in the desert in anticipation. As a spectacle, it wasnt the shootout the fighters had predicted but did provide the answers which had been on the lips of many.
Tommy Fury started confidently behind his jab, something which Paul failed to utilise at all the opening round. Both fighters had already been warned early in the round to respect the referee’s instructions which had been tainted with holding. Fury was the first to find his rhythm with several jabs and a left hook towards the end of the round before a flurry of shots just before the bell.
Round two saw Fury return to the jab which was at this point extremely effective in keeping Paul at bay. Jake was seeking any opportunity to throw his overhand right and was made to miss wide by the more intelligent Fury at this point. Many of Jake’s attacks were parried, blocked and avoided however Paul did connect with an overhand right but the effect was minimal with Fury riding the shot.
The third was a more positive round for Paul who employed his jab finally after it had been completely ignored for the opening two rounds. Tommy had been lured to hold his feet and was in confident form following the opening two rounds, ultimately getting tagged with a lunging jab, left hook before a right hand late in the round.
Four saw Fury return to the and his most complete round of the fight. The jab was the weapon of choice for the more accomplished Fury, while Paul favoured it to the point of telegraphing his overhand right.
The drama arrived in round five with a point deduction for Paul for consistent pushing down of Fury’s head which ultimately wasnt well received by the American and ultimately saw Jake become more aggressive and quicken the tempo of the fight. Fury received the same treatment from the referee in the following round with a point deduction. However the sixth was a strong round for Fury who landed a heavy uppercut flush on Paul being the highlight.
The seventh saw Fury and Paul clash heads which ultimately lead to a cut for Fury following Jake leading with his head as Fury attempted to land a right hook. Tommy remained composed and returned to the jab and was able to tie up who was crude in seeking to close the gap and was negated.
The eighth and final round saw Jake land a left jab which sent Fury to the canvas heavily with Fury asking for it to be called a slip. This prompted Jake to seek to finish the contest however Fury was able to fight with Paul and managed to land some flurries on Paul and saw out the remainder of the round.
There was suspense ringside with an expectant Paul feeling he had done enough before the judges announced a split decision victory in favour of Fury with scores of 76-73 from judges Omar Mintun and Daniel Van de Wiele. Mike Ross scored the contest closer with a score of 75-74 in favour of Jake Paul.
Tommy Fury improves his unbeaten record to nine straight wins while Jake Paul adds the maiden defeat against his six wins. Jake, who has a rematch clause, intends to activate the clause and run the fight back.
