On Sunday night, Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will finally clash in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
'The Problem Child' and 'TNT' have been scheduled to fight on two prior occasions, with the latter withdrawing on two occasions. Due to these pullouts and nearly two years of trash talk, there is a lot of bad blood heading into this weekend.
Heading into the matchup, the YouTuber-turned-boxer is a sizeable favorite. However, should that be the case? Will Paul move to 7-0 in his boxing career this Sunday on ESPN pay-per-view?
Barring any sort of last-minute injury, which could happen given their previous history, the two rivals will finally fight this weekend. That begs the question, who will win this battle of undefeated social media stars?
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury: Preview
It goes without saying, but this isn't an easy matchup to preview. The two have a combined 14 fights between them, and they haven't really fought anyone of value.
For his part, the YouTuber-turned-boxer has opted not to fight journeymen or cans, instead opting to fight older, shopworn MMA fighters. Paul holds wins over names such as Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, who look great on paper.
However, both those men were in their 40s, with 'The Spider' being nearly 50 years old. Furthermore, all of Paul's opponents combined have just four boxing wins between them, with Silva holding three of them. That being said, Fury's record isn't that good.
Tommy Fury's prior opponents hold a combined record of 24-176-5. However, his last opponent Daniel Bocianski was a solid step-up, holding a record of 11-2. The fight, which took place on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte, saw the British prospect pass the test with flying colors.
Furthermore, while Tommy Fury has an underwhelming resume to this point in his career, that's to be expected. He's a 23-year-old who didn't get much experience in the amateur scene. It's normal for younger fighters to take tune-ups and journeymen matchups at the beginning of their careers.
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury: Prediction
On paper, Tommy Fury should win this fight easily. However, fights aren't fought on paper, they're fought in the ring.
While many have been quick to judge 'TNT', there are things that he does well. He has a great jab, has solid combinations, and has an incredibly long reach. Holding a 80-inch reach, he's just a few inches short of Deontay Wilder's. That reach will pay dividends on fight night.
However, what this fight will ultimately come down to is who applies the pressure. When watching both Paul and Fury, they're both solid pressure fighters but are horrendous on the backfoot. 'The Problem Child' has especially struggled in the past when forced to contend with any opponent who can throw a combination.
Granted, he's only dealt with an opponent like that once, Anderson Silva. The Brazilian stood with Paul for eight rounds, going back and forth, ultimately losing by unanimous decision. While it wasn't a bad showing for the 47-year-old, it felt like with a little more activity, he could've pulled off the win.
If Tommy Fury is able to evade the right-hand and land combinations, he should be able to pull off the win. Ultimately, Jake Paul has solid power but hasn't shown that the punch is as devastating against an actual boxer.
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury: The Outcome
Tommy Fury will likely defeat Jake Paul this Sunday on pay-per-view.
This fight comes down to the heart vs. the mind, which is something that Eddie Hearn recently noted in his prediction for the fight. Logically, 'TNT' should easily win, as he has the youth, size, reach, experience, and boxing ability.
Meanwhile, 'The Problem Child' has a big right hand and a refusal to lose. While Jake Paul has proved his doubters wrong thus far, there's a big difference between boxing Tyron Woodley and Tommy Fury.
If the moment is too big for the British star, he will crumble. However, if he sticks to a game plan, is focused on his jab, and doesn't melt down, he should be victorious.
Prediction: Tommy Fury by decision.