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International

27th Feb 2023

“I don’t know if I agree with the judges” – Jake Paul and Tommy Fury both open to rematch

Callum Boyle

Jake Paul

Round two, coming soon

Both Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have said that they are open to a rematch after their thrilling eight round contest in Saudi Arabia.

Fury won the bout via split decision after largely dominating the fight but was dealt a worrying blow in the final round after Paul knocked the Manchester-born fighter down.

Both fighters had exchanged several words of bad blood before going into the ring. Paul had also added fuel to the fire by announcing the birth of Tommy’s newborn daughter, Bambi, before he and his partner Molly Mae Hague had done so.

Paul continued the charade by leaving Fury waiting for his ring walk before eventually entering to a chorus of boos from the crowd after the lengthy wait.

Round one was a cagey affair as Fury came out of the blocks flying before Paul steadily improved, catching his opponent with a few jabs to the body but it was Fury who ended the round strongest, landing a series of nice jabs including a strong, straight left to Paul.

Fury continued to control the pace of the fight in round two, landing another straight left to the head of Paul, as well as landing a strong right hook as the American’s lack of experience against a professional boxer began to show.

Tommy Fury

Jake Paul dropped Tommy Fury in eighth round

After a difficult opening two, Paul began to found his feet in the third, switching his approach from trying to land a knockout blow with each shot to trying to box Fury. Following Logan Paul’s prediction that Fury would tire out, the former Love Island star began with a flurry of shots however Paul caught Fury with a strong left hook.

Paul was deducted a point in the fifth round after catching Fury with an illegal shot around the back of the head which appeared to light a fire inside the American, connecting with an overhand shot to leave Fury on unsteady legs before making a quick recovery.

His point deduction became null and void one round later after Fury was also deducted a point for persistent holding. Paul was also able to land some damage on Fury as he was spotted with a bloody nose.

The final round saw Paul come from out of nowhere and land a heavy blow which saw Fury fall to the ground however the Manchester-born fighter claimed that he slipped.

Although the fight remained close, it would be Fury that would emerge victorious. Paul has a rematch clause but it remains to be seen as to if he will activate it.

Paul and Fury were both deducted points in the sixth and seventh rounds, the American for an illegal shot to the back of Fury’s head while his opponent lost a point for persistent holding.

After the showdown, both fighters gave emotional speeches inside the ring in which they praised each other before both confirming that they would be welcome to a rematch. After his win, Fury said:

“For the past two-and-a-half years this is all that has consumed my life. Tonight, I made my own legacy. I am Tommy Fury.”

After his defeat Paul remained respectful – praising Fury for his performance – before expressing his interest in activating his rematch clause and revealing the struggles he had faced during his training camp. He said:

“All respect to Tommy, he won. I think we deserve that rematch. I don’t know if I agree with the judges. I got a 10-8 round twice… I felt flat, I got sick really bad twice in this camp, injured my arm. But I lost, I’m not making excuses.”

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