On February 26, Jake Paul is scheduled to step back into the squared circle for his third attempt at a fight with British boxer Tommy Fury.
Emanating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ‘The Problem Child’ will attempt to once again silence his critics as he faces the first legitimate professional boxer of his career. Thus far, Paul has made a name for himself competing against former MMA world champions including Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva. Fans have been calling for Paul to test himself against an established boxer for some time. He’ll do exactly that, assuming Fury doesn’t once again withdraw, in just a few short weeks.
British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was in the studio during the latest episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss Jake Paul’s latest boxing endeavor and the limited capabilities of his opponent inside the squared circle.
“Tommy Fury is unbelievably limited, but he is a fighter. He is a boxer. All the criticism about Jake (Paul) is that he’s never fought a boxer before. He’s about to. Not a very good one, but still a boxer. For Tommy Fury, it’s just a bit embarrassing like if he were to lose. It’s embarrassing. Full stop to lose to Jake. That’s the reality for a boxer. I’d be embarrassed if I lost to Jake Paul, I would.”
.@EddieHearn predicts Jake Paul will knock out "unbelievably limited" Tommy Fury 💥 #TheMMAHour
“I think [Jake] will mess with Tommy mentally… I think Tommy will be defeated before the fight’s even taken place."
▶️ https://t.co/sZj0sunGyq pic.twitter.com/sWhNUi5O70
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 1, 2023
Eddie Hearn Says Jake Paul is ‘Deluded’ About His Own Skills Inside the Ring
Eddie Hearn suggested that Jake Paul is not nearly as good as he presents himself, but carrying that mentality into the fight with Tommy Fury will give him an undeniable edge.
“[Paul] is deluded to a point that when he steps into the ring, he thinks he does have that ability (to beat Canelo Alvarez) and that’s important because mindset is everything in the fight game. I know you’ve got to have ability, but mentally he’s pretty robust. He genuinely thinks he’s a world-class fighter and that’s part of the battle sometimes and mentally he’ll break Tommy Fury.”
As far as who walks away the winner, Hearn is backing Jake Paul by way of knockout, though he believes the fight will be over long before either fighter enters the ring.
“I think he’ll mess with Tommy mentally. By the time they get in the ring, if they do get in the ring, I think Tommy will be defeated before the fight even takes place. I think Jake Paul wins by knockout.”
