MEAWW.COM / NEWS / SPORTS

Tommy Fury defeats Jake Paul via split decision in 8-round bout despite being knocked down in final one

Although Tommy Fury seemed to have an added advantage throughout most of the fight, Jake Paul threw plenty of great punches of his own

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul suffered the loss of his career on Sunday, February 26, 2023, after he was defeated by Tommy Fury at Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His first fight against a real boxer did not go as he wanted as the brother of Tyson Fury defeated Paul by split decision in the eight-round bout despite being knocked down in the final round.

The judges scored it 76-73 twice for Fury and 75-74 once for Paul. Although Fury seemed to have an added advantage throughout most of the fight, Paul was right in the mix and threw plenty of great punches of his own. One point was later deducted from both fighters in the later rounds for landing punches to the back of each other's heads. 

READ MORE

'Kenny Powers of NFL': Matt Araiza's agent denies Mexican football team signed him after 'welcome' tweet

Check that! Tiger Woods checks off item from ardent nine-year-old fan's bucket list in wholesome interaction

Jake Paul disappointed with his loss

While getting booed by the crowd, Paul said he did not agree with the judge's decision and that he fell ill twice in the camp and injured his arm. “But I lost. I’m not making excuses,” Paul said, according to Yahoo Sports. “I’m just saying it wasn’t my best performance. I fell flat,” he added.

It was until the eighth round that Paul bounced back. Paul came out with an early left-handed punch which sent Fury stumbling back and down to the mat briefly. It was the first and only knockdown of the bout. “That wasn’t a knockdown, that was a slip,” Fury said, adding, “That was genuinely a slip. I got up … I came right back into it.”

Fury, however, was not too concerned by the knockdown and came out landing several blows of his own to keep the advantage at the end of the fight. He won via split decision and threw almost double the amount of punches than Paul did in the fight. Fury landed 88 compared to just 49 by Paul.

Emotional Tommy Fury speaks after win

“All the way through these 2 1/2 years, I had a dream, I had a vision that I would win this fight, and no one believed me,” an emotional Fury said in the ring after his win. “Now I can stand up and everybody can take note. In my first main event, at 23 years old, I had the world on me. I had pressure on my shoulders, and I came through,” he added.

Was the match between Fury and Paul scripted?

There were a lot of speculations going around on social media and the world of boxing regarding the match that took place between Paul and Fury. Many claimed that the result and various spots in the match were already pre-planned including the knockout punch that was landed by Paul. A document was shared by former UFC star Mike Perry, who was also Tommy Fury's backup in case the Brit failed to show up for his fight with Paul in Saudi Arabia. The document detailed everything from the ring walk costumes and music to how the fight would play out and what the two rivals would say afterward. However, Saudi Arabia organizers said that it was completely fake and it has no relation to the match. 

'Jake Paul Loses, America Wins!'

Twitter users also reacted after the hard-hitting contest between Paul and Fury ended. One social media user tweeted, "Look at that celebration, for narrowly beating a youtuber on points (and getting dropped)... just shows the level tommy fury is at."

Another posted, "Jake Paul won that… Tommy Fury was knocked down, cut, started bleeding and hugged 75% of the fight." One Twitter user opined, "Either way we all were right this is honestly the worst jake has ever looked and is far away from sniffing a world title or even International or intercontinental title."

Another wrote, "Jake Paul is a sore loser. He is elaborating so many excuses in such a short period of time. Life goes on, it now time to get humble and return to the drawing board. Fury truly won the fight." One user tweeted, "Jake Paul Loses, America Wins!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.