The fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury is finally a done deal.
Paul, the YouTube star-turned-boxer, and Fury will meet Feb. 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, officials told ESPN on Friday. The anticipated event, which had initially been reported to take place Feb. 25, will partner with Top Rank and broadcast digitally in the United States on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
The fight will be contested at 185 pounds and is contracted for eight rounds.
In the co-main event, former two-weight world champion Badou Jack will face WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu. Also on the card, Ashton Sylve, an undefeated top prospect from Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, will face Maxwell Awuku.
An official announcement on the card is expected later Friday.
Paul and Fury, half-brother of heavyweight great Tyson Fury and a reality star in the United Kingdom, were supposed to fight twice before. The original fight was scheduled for December 2021, but Fury pulled out with an illness. Paul ended up fighting former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a rematch and knocked him out. The postponed Paul vs. Fury date for August 2022 was also scrapped, when Fury had travel issues coming into the United States.
Paul, 26, is 6-0 as a pro boxer with four knockouts. Fury, 23, has an 8-0 record and will be by far the most experienced boxer Paul has faced.
“The moment of truth has finally arrived,” Paul said in a statement. “On Feb. 26, 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.”
The Paul vs. Fury card will be co-produced by Saudi Arabia’s Skill Challenge Entertainment Enterprises and Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, in association with Fury promoter Queensberry Promotions and Top Rank.
“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,” SCEE chairman Prince Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said in a statement.
Source: www.espn.com