Jake Paul embarrassed by referee Hector Afu during bout with Tommy Fury
Jake Paul was asked by the referee if he wanted to fight, during his loss to Tommy Fury, after a series of holding on to his opponent.
23-year-old Tommy Fury came out on top after two years of rivalry and eight rounds of boxing, despite suffering a knockdown in the final round, that earned his opponent a 10-8 round.
In the very first moments of the fight, there was an excess of holding and, by round four, the referee in charge, Hector Afu, had to stop the bout to ask the 'Problem Child' if he actually wanted to fight.
Fury, the half-brother of Tyson Fury, pushed forward aggressively at the start of the fight, but Paul initiated clinches in order to avoid any significant damage. This pattern would continue for the rest of the fight.
In the second and third rounds, Fury made a crucial adjustment. Instead of coming forward, he spent more time on the outside where he could circle landing jabs and right hands.
Paul became frustrated with Fury’s footwork and occasional combinations as the rounds progressed. In the fifth, Paul was deducted a point for hitting Fury behind the head. That point deduction was nullified after the Manchester native was himself deducted a point for clinching in the sixth round.
The 26-year-old American from Cleveland, Ohio, even managed to send Fury to the canvas with a counter left jab in the final round.
Fury’s early lead, however, was enough for him to secure the victory as two judges scored it 76-73 for him while a third (an American judge) had it 75-74 for Paul.
Reactions
Tim Rickson, BBN Editor: "The clinches started in the very first seconds and continued throughout the entire fight. Tommy Fury has this really twitchy, jerky style yet still gets caught flush time after time. Being twitchy like that should mean that you're reactive and elusive, but he really wasn't. Jake Paul only has to be backed up with a couple of shots to the head and he closes up his guard and freezes for a moment, showing just how inexperienced he is, which is when any decent boxer would line up a big shot downstairs.
"The knockdown was legitimate, but it was a lucky moment where Fury was half turning to his left and his feet slipped from under him, but the punch landed and was the cause for his toppling over so it completely counts. Fury just doesn't generate any power because he doesn't turn his hips. Paul does have power, but not much else. Both these guys will get beaten by any top prospect or fringe contender.
"Tommy Fury talks about become a world champion, but that looks highly unlikely. He is still young, at 23, perhaps he can learn and improve, but he wouldn't even win a British title as it stands. Could you see him taking on guys like Dan Azeez or Craig Richards or Lyndon Arthur? He would get stopped by all of them. He's still 9-0, so he needs a few more tune-up fights before talking of titles, but I would like to see him talking about winning an English title first, and not mention world again for a few more years.
"I would urge fans not to get carried away. This was not a good fight; it was a big fight, but not a good fight. Both boxers were below average and you tend to watch this fight only seeing the many flaws rather than enjoying any talent."