Following the cancellation of his bout versus Tommy Fury on December 18, 2021, scheduled to be held in Tampa, Florida, Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions have now confirmed the rescheduling of this grudge match set to take place on August 6 at Madison Square Garden.
Jake Paul is a social media star turned boxer who’s been widely criticized for his hand-selected opponents with zero connection to the boxing world as well as non-existent pro records. However, critics could be silenced if he can defeat Fury, who was forced to pull out of the initial meeting in December due to a broken rib. But now, as of last week, both parties have reached an agreement to see the British boxer travel to America for the second time in his professional career.
Tommy is the brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, and he’ll notably be the first legitimate boxer with a winning record that Paul has faced. The Englishman recently fought Daniel Bocianski (10-1), and he’ll be the most difficult challenge for the YouTuber’s in-ring tenure thus far.
The deal didn’t arrive without its fair share of drama, including his family’s inability to travel and his persistence in drug testing. Paul announced the bout confirmation on Twitter. He posted a fight poster with the caption: “Okay, people, he grew a set overnight. It’s official; I’m taking this little Fury’s head off. Amanda Serrano and I dual main-event at the Mecca of boxing.”
Fury also took to social media with his own response to the contract signing: “The contract has been signed. I don’t need a team to get this job done; now the drug testing has been signed, there are no issues. See you at the press conference.”
But things just took a turn for the worse this morning, and now the fight might be in jeopardy. Tommy Fury was denied entry into the US while getting ready to take a flight at Heathrow airport to attend the press conference this Wednesday. The press conference has officially been cancelled. Fury called it “a massive shock to me and my whole team,” and said they were working on resolving the situation. Tommy’s half-brother Tyson Fury was reportedly denied entry to the U.S. recently as well, due to past connections with Daniel Kinahan, whose alleged crime cartel is the target of coordinated action between Irish, British, and American law enforcement.
As the United States is enjoying its first year as a nation with almost every state supplying legalized sports betting to some extent, we should expect the Ohio-born Paul to have a big following at the sportsbooks with his undefeated record and multiple knockout victories.
Surprisingly, Caesars Ohio and other sportsbooks have received significant betting action on Tommy Fury to walk away as the victor. Currently, Fury is -200, with an implied probability of 66.67% to win the bout versus Jake Paul in August. Earlier this month, Paul and Fury were both -110, but Paul has since dropped to +150 in the previous two weeks.
Since Paul began his boxing venture in January of 2020, he’s built a 5-0 record with wins over AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson, former MMA champion Ben Askren, and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (twice). Fury, who is a trained boxer in his fighting prime, is an entirely different opponent from what Paul has faced thus far. 23-year-old Fury boasts an 8-0 record with four career knockouts.
The Co-Main Event
Amanda Serrano, the Puerto Rican southpaw – who burst onto the scene with significant help from Paul’s promotion – will join the YouTuber in a dual main event where she’ll face the current interim champion, Brenda Carabajal.
Serrano will be defending her featherweight WBC, WBO, and IBO titles versus the mandatory challenger in Carabajal. Serrano became familiar with Madison Square Garden on April 30 when she faced Katie Taylor, a fight regarded as the biggest fight in the history of women’s boxing.
Eddie Hearn Leak
Despite the dramatized contract signing, rival promoter Eddie Hearn commented on his knowledge of the bout happening last month. Hearn doesn’t work with Paul or Serrano, but he co-promoted the undisputed lightweight bout between Taylor and Serrano earlier this year.
“I don’t represent them, but I hear that fight [Paul vs. Fury] is happening August 13, so you might see it,” Hearn told reporters, admitting that he wants to see the YouTube star stopped for the first time in his career. “Both are very limited, but as long as it’s a competitive fight, it doesn’t really matter.
“Jake Paul is a strange one, but I like what he’s doing for boxing. I did Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor with him, and it was great fun; it was a big success, he’s putting the work in, and he’s not terrible. But it will be a pleasant day when someone chins him.”
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