Jake Paul didn’t take anything Tommy Fury said to him during their face to face confrontation seriously.
Paul claimed Tyson Fury’s younger half-brother – who, among other things, promised to end Paul’s boxing career when they finally fight February 26 – is simply acting out the part he feels he is supposed to play because he is part of a renowned fighting family in England. Deep down, though, Paul suspects that the youngest Fury lacks confidence because his boxing background isn’t nearly as extensive as that of his older brother, the unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion, or even his cousin, heavyweight contender Hughie Fury.
“I think he’s a big talker,” Paul said during a press conference at OVO Arena Wembley in London. “I think he’s a big talker, but I don’t think he believes the things that he’s saying. He’s the Fury family puppet, right? Tyson and John [their father] both were real fighters, real boxers, real dogs, and Tommy feels like he has to live up to that. So, he’s saying the things that they say. But I don’t think he believes it. I don’t think he believes in himself. And he’s gonna be in for a rude awakening. And he’s gonna hate this sport after I’m done with him.”
Paul-Fury was officially announced for February 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their eight-round, 185-pound bout will headline a BT Sport Box Office pay-per-view show in the United Kingdom and Ireland and an ESPN+ pay-per-view event in the United States.
They went face-to-face in the ring Saturday night during the Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde card. Fury didn’t attend their subsequent press conference.
The 23-year-old Fury is 8-0 as a pro, including four knockouts, but only two of his eight opponents had winning records when they fought. Fury had just 12 amateur bouts, but he qualifies as the “real boxer” Paul’s critics contend he needs to beat.
The 26-year-old Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) is popular and has shown improvement, but the social media sensation has beaten former UFC fighters in each of his past four boxing matches.
Before he knocked out Ben Askren in the first round, defeated Tyron Woodley by split decision, beat Woodley again by sixth-round knockout in their rematch and then Anderson Silva by unanimous decision, Paul viciously knocked out retired NBA point guard Nate Robinson in the second round of his second professional fight. Paul stopped YouTube rival Ali Eson Gib in the first round of his pro debut three years ago.
This marks the third time Paul has been scheduled to fight Fury.
Woodley replaced Fury on short notice when Fury was supposed to oppose Paul in December 2021 because Fury reportedly suffered from a rib injury and a chest infection while training. That’s when Paul brutally knocked out the former UFC welterweight champion with a right hand at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Paul-Fury was rescheduled for last August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York, yet Fury withdrew again due to a visa issue that prohibited him from traveling to the United States. Hasim Rahman Jr. replaced Fury, but the Showtime Pay-Per-View event was scrapped altogether when Rahman refused to get down to the contracted weight limit of 200 pounds.
It was important, according to Paul, to reschedule the Fury fight again because the Westlake, Ohio native wants to silence his talkative rival once and for all.
“Look, I wanna make him pay,” Paul said. “He wasted my time multiple times. And it just feels destined. I wanna take away his career from him, and he’s talked a lotta sh!t, and he has to own up for it and meet me in the ring. And the truth will come out February 26th.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.