In boxing, there is often no love lost between fighters. Whether that manifests in a weigh-in scuffle or a war of words beforehand, intense rivalries have been commonplace over the years. The sport’s newest rivalry has a very modern edge to it.
In one corner, we have a former internet star. A man who made his name on YouTube and through his music, before turning his hand to boxing.
In the other, a reality TV star and one of the younger brothers of one of the most successful boxers of all time.
Sunday’s fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury is one of the most hotly anticipated in the sport’s modern history – not necessarily because of their relative qualities, but because of the bad blood between the two.
After years of antagonistic exchanges, Paul and Fury will finally exchange blows in the ring in Saudi Arabia this weekend and perhaps change the future of the sport itself.
Where and how to watch
The pair will trade blows on Sunday at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia as they headline of the evening’s fight card.
The card will get underway at 2 p.m. ET (10 p.m. local time), with the eight-round cruiserweight bout scheduled to start at about 5 p.m. ET (1 a.m. local time).
Here’s where you can watch Paul and Fury battle it out:
Australia: Kayo
Canada: DAZN
Brazil: DAZN
UK: BT Sport
US: ESPN+
‘The Paul family name vs. the Fury family name’
Sunday’s fight has been years in the making.
The two have been scheduled to fight twice before. Fury pulled out of the first, citing a broken rib and a bacterial chest infection, and for the second Fury was denied a visa to face Paul in the US.
The two fighters have had different journeys to get to this point.
Fury has boxing in his blood. As the brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and the son of a former fighter, a career in the sport was always likely.
After a brief stint on the UK reality TV show ‘Love Island,’ the 23-year-old Fury has turned all his focus onto boxing and has begun his burgeoning career with an undefeated, eight-win start; although critics would say the opponents have not been tough.
Paul only began boxing in 2018, but has since gone on to record six wins – including four knockouts – against a variety of sporting names, including victories against MMA world champions Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.
What began as seemingly a money-driven decision – having seen the huge purses boxers can earn, even in exhibition fights – has turned into a full-blown career change for Paul. Fury, however, will be the first professional boxer he will have faced.
Should he perform well, or even beat Fury, the boxing community may start to take him more seriously.
“In terms of what it means for my career, he’s a professional boxer and we’re in the sport of boxing,” Paul told BT Sport earlier this month.
In fact, the whole fight was given another edge to it when Paul made a double or nothing bet with Fury in the press conference, saying he would give Fury all of his earnings if he loses. But, if Paul was to win, he would take all of the money.
Although Fury himself didn’t shake on the deal, Fury’s father and trainer John seemed to agree on it.
For both fighters, this fight could prove a huge springboard – both in the ring and out – to a successful boxing career.
