Tommy Fury has defeated Jake Paul by split decision in arguably the most anticipated contest between two rookies in boxing history.
Fury, 23, was the busier fighter, landing more accurate punches and showing off his boxing fundamentals.
The former Love Island star, brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, was knocked down by YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in the eighth round.
One judge scored it 75-74 to Paul, the other two scored it 76-73 to Fury.
“For the past two years, that’s been all that has consumed my life,” an emotional Fury, who has now won all nine of his professional fights, told BT Sport.
“Everyone thought I was scared, but tonight I left my own legacy.”
After dedicating the fight to his newborn daughter Bambi, Fury added, “This is my first main event, I’m going to get bigger and better and if he wants a rematch, do it.”
Paul – who lost for the first time in his seventh professional fight – said: “All due respect to Tommy, he won. Don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses.
“I don’t know if I agree with the judges, that’s what it is but that’s the world of boxing.”
Atmosphere and vibe in Saudi Arabia
Several stars from the sports and entertainment world were in attendance and many more were watching the eight-round bout from home.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo were among those in attendance at Riyadh’s open-air Diriyah Arena.
Popstar Drake shared a screenshot of his $400,000 (£335,000) bet on a Paul KO win, while Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin tweeted: “There’s no What better way to celebrate your half birthday than watching Jake Paul get repeatedly punched in the head.”
The main event received the full big fight treatment, with legendary emcee Michael Buffer introducing both fighters.
Fury, dressed in white with his newborn daughter’s name engraved on his dress, headed to the ring first with trainer and father John Fury and his brother Tyson.
But with Fury waiting patiently, “The Problem Child” Paul was still pacing his dressing room as the mind games continued. When Paul entered, a chorus of boos echoed through the room.
Unusually, the fight took place on a Sunday night and while Paul and Fury enjoy a huge social network among young fans, the first bell didn’t ring until 22:30 GMT (01:30 local time) – almost a hour later than scheduled.
The fight was the latest lucrative sporting event to take place in Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom has spent billions to bring elite sport to its country, but critics, such as human rights organization Amnesty International, have accused Saudi Arabia of trying to ‘wash sport of the country’s “appalling” human rights record.
How was the fight?
After all the hype and expectation, it was a rambling opening minute of the fight. Fury landed some solid punches and finished the round with the first significant punch, a left hook.
Fury settled in nicely in the second, swinging Paul’s head back with a sharp jab – and even put on a show by twirling his hand and then landing a flush punch.
As Paul watched the single power shots, he eyed Fury’s forehead with an overhand right but missed wildly on other occasions.
Paul started using his jab and found success in the third. Then, somewhat oddly, Paul’s brother, Logan, was interviewed at ringside and with everyone in the arena able to hear, he insulted Fury and his family.
The fight had already divided opinion in the boxing world and this episode between rounds will likely have further cemented the thoughts of traditionalists who think it’s a mockery of the sport.
The feedback seemed to boost Fury as he connected with a short right hand and followed it up with a flurry of ranged punches in the fourth, although Paul finished the round well, landing some crisper punches.
Paul had the best of round five but was deducted a point for a punch to the back of the head. Fury landed some great uppercuts in the sixth, but he was also deducted a point for holding. Neither fighter was warned by the referee beforehand.
The fighters were visibly tired in the seventh, the first time in Fury’s career he had gone this far in a fight. But it was the Briton who dominated the round thanks to his work rate.
In a frantic final round, with both boxers looking to land the decisive blow, Fury hit the deck from a jab by Paul. He looked more surprised than hurt and insisted to the referee that it was a mistake.
“It was my destiny”
The WBC had said the winner would now earn a top-40 ranking with the sanctioning body, which, in theory, could pave the way for a future world title.
It’s a decision that has angered many die-hard boxing fans, who feel there are more deserving fighters out there who should be given a ranking.
In his short career so far, Paul has boldly – and to the chagrin of those fans – called it the best boxing has to offer.
He mentioned the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, one of the pound-for-pound top stars, and, more recently, former British world champion Carl Froch.
But he suffered a defeat in his first fight against an opponent from boxing. He previously faced YouTuber AnEson Gib, former NBA basketball player Nate Robinson and MMA fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.
“I’ve already won in every way in life,” he said. “I went further than I ever thought I would. I’ll take it on the chin but we can roll it back.”
Prior to the fight, Fury was told by his father and brother that he would be disowned if he lost.
“All along I had a dream and a vision that I would win this fight, but now everyone can stand up and take notice,” the winner said.
“I had pressure on my shoulders and I got through it. This is a world title fight for me – it was my destiny.”
“They draw attention to the sport”
Boxing pundit Steve Bunce on BBC Breakfast
It was entertaining, the hype lived up to its own, and it was actually sports.
It wasn’t a masterpiece, but there was a lot of heart and courage. What we ask in boxing is that the two men or women in the ring give us their all and these two did. It wasn’t a big boxing match, but it was a big event.
They bring eyeballs to the sport.
If Jake Paul can reach 200 million people with one tweet and get it retweeted 10 million times in about five minutes, regardless of what time he sends the tweet, then if millions upon millions of new eyeballs are watching sport, they’re not all going to go away when boxing ends.
So how is 250,000 potential new fans going to hurt any sport, whether it’s winks or boxing? It has to be positive.
