Jake Paul-Tommy Fury Fight Set For Saudi Arabia, To Screen on ESPN+

Jake Paul, the best known boxer in America, will glove up once again on Sunday, Feb. 26. Or, at least, that is the plan on paper…The cyber provocateur is slated yet again to battle Tommy Fury, the brother of heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury.

Interestingly, it’s looking like a “if ya can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” situation is in effect, with word out that this event will be promoted with the crew at Top Rank. Assuming that Tommy Fury doesn’t drop out of the assignment, then the contest will screen on ESPN+, the streaming station.

Paul had been booked to fight Fury on Dec. 18, 2021, but Fury pulled out less than two weeks before that face-off. Tyrone Woodley subbed in on short notice, and Paul stopped him in a rematch battle. Showtime handled production, and offered the scrap on PPV. Jake beat Woodley via split decision in their first clash, in August 2021.

Paul fights generally come with a side helping of drama; Jake Paul-Tommy Fury got made for Aug. 6, 2022, but again that collision got put off. This time, Fury couldn’t attend because he had been placed on a travel ban, and was forbidden entry from the UK to America, because of ties to accused drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan. (Kinahan had been an advisor to big bro Tyson.) Hasim Rahman Jr got the replacement slot, but that pairing got nullified one week before the promotion, because Rahman’s weight was high, and it was feared he’d not be able to make cruiserweight for the tussle to unfold at Madison Square Garden. Paul eventually found a partner who made it to the dance-off finals—Anderson Silva, the MMA legend, fought Paul in Arizona. Paul’s effort impressed even some hardcore doubters, who conceded that he had improved noticeably from that first Woodley fight. The Vine star turned boxer, who has been edging more heavily into promotion himself, wasn’t pleased with the PPV tally, so perhaps that’s why he’s decided to hitch the wagon to the Top Rank train.

It could well be that the 47 year old Silva proves to be a harder foe than Tommy Fury, who has fought competition of a lesser grade than Jake Paul, to this point, arguably

Here is a release which offers more details on the news, including who else will be featured on the card, which is to unfold in Saudi Arabia aka The New Las Vegas:

NEW YORK, NY – January 27, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced that international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will, at long last, face undefeated pro boxer Tommy “TNT” Fury, younger brother of Heavyweight World Champion Tyson Fury, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, February 26, 2023. The main event, titled “The Truth,” will also feature two-weight world champion Badou Jack “The Ripper” challenging WBC Cruiserweight world champion Ilunga Makabu in the co-main event. The card will also showcase Ashton “H2O” Sylve, an MVP undefeated fighter, as he is set to face former WBC world title challenger Maxwell Awuku (48-5-1, 33 KOs), from Accra, Ghana.

Jake Paul-Tommy Fury will stream live on ESPN+ PPV (2PM ET / 11AM PT), the exclusive digital distributor for the event in the United States. Additionally, it will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers and will be priced at $49.99

Jake Paul announced his latest attempt to fight Tommy Fury and mocked the man for his previous pullouts.

Paul and Fury were originally slated to face off in December 2021, but Fury withdrew from the bout because of a medical issue. Paul went on to record a scintillating one-punch knockout of Tyron Woodley, who stepped in as a late replacement for a rematch of the pair’s August 2021 clash. Paul is giving Fury another chance next month so he can silence the critics who claim he has yet to fight a professional boxer. The 26-year-old Cleveland native started his pro boxing journey in January 2020 and will go head-to-head with Fury, a more experienced boxer from a prominent boxing family.

Paul, who boasts a professional record of 6-0 with 4 knockouts, continues to make waves in the boxing world. His latest win against the legendary Anderson Silva, won him ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, by dropping Silva in the 8th round. Paul began his pro career in January 2020 with a stunning debut against British YouTube star AnEsonGib and a subsequent, jaw-dropping knockout of former NBA star Nate Robinson in November 2020. From there, “The Problem Child” shocked the industry with a first-round KO of former MMA champion Ben Askren in April 2021 and two wins over Woodley, including a vicious knockout which won him ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of The Year.

“The moment of truth has finally arrived,” said Paul of the latest Jake Paul-Tommy Fury date. “On February 26th, I will get in the ring with a ‘real boxer,’ an 8-0 fighter from a storied fighting family and show the world the truth about who Jake Paul, the boxer really is.”

Jake Paul has declared that he wants to learn the art and science of MMA, in addition to pugilism

Hailing from Manchester, England, Fury began boxing at the age of 12. He had 12 amateur fights, winning two regional titles and reaching the U.K. national final in 2016. Fury made his professional debut in 2018, winning by decision. He then knocked out his next four opponents, drawing attention from the boxing world. In 2021, he fought three times, including his U.S. debut on Paul’s undercard, earning his seventh victory against Anthony Taylor. He most recently shut out Daniel Bocianski over six rounds last April on the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte undercard. Fury, a former Love Island reality TV star, is ready for the biggest moment in his professional boxing career.

“Jake Paul has already achieved more than anyone thought possible when we started this journey three years ago. Six professional fights, five pay-per-views, over $150 million of revenue generated and viral moment after viral moment,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “Jake is an undeniable pay-per-view star and we are delighted to collaborate with Top Rank and ESPN+ to distribute this massive Jake Paul-Tommy Fury event between two of boxing’s biggest names to millions of homes in the United States. Thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its Ministry of Sport and Skill Challenge Entertainment Enterprises for their vision and commitment to putting on this event.”

“Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have fan bases that extend far beyond the world of boxing,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef. “We are thrilled to partner with MVP and distribute this event on pay-per-view in the U.S., including ESPN+ PPV as the exclusive digital platform.”

Tommy Fury seemingly has to stick to the plan and finally step to the line against Jake Paul, right?

“We are very excited about the upcoming event featuring Jake Paul-Tommy Fury in Riyadh and look forward to welcoming them to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” stated Chairman of Skill Challenge Entertainment, His Highness Prince Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

“With the consumption of YouTube content per capita in Saudi Arabia remaining one of the highest in the world, the highly anticipated bout featuring one of its most renowned personalities-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, will be amongst the most-viewed events globally. The excitement of this being his biggest challenge to date is very appealing as he takes on a legitimate boxer in Tommy Fury,” he added.

The Jake Paul-Tommy Fury event is co-produced by Skill Challenge Entertainment Enterprises (SCEE) and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), in association with Queensberry Promotions and Top Rank. The U.S. pay-per-view telecast is available on ESPN+ PPV.

For more information follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, @ESPNRingside, and @ESPNPlus or Instagram via @JakePaul, and @MostValuablePromotions.