Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will face off in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, February 26 over a year after they were originally scheduled to fight. The bout will air on an ESPN+ PPV with the main card getting underway at 2 p.m. ET.
This marks the first time Paul has faced someone with fairly significant boxing experience on his record. Anderson Silva beat Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. prior to facing Paul, but is still an MMA fighter taking a crack at boxing. Fury has fought purely as a boxer and while his 8-0 record has come against tomato can-level competition, it’s still more boxing experience than anybody Paul has fought to date.
It is also worth noting that Fury comes from a fighting family. His father, John Fury, fought 13 times at the professional level between 1987 and 1995. He finished his career 8-4-1 and his most significant fight was a loss to future heavyweight champ Henry Akinwande.
More notable than John is Tommy Fury’s half-brother. Tommy and current WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury share John as a father. Tyson has 34 professional bouts under his belt and most recently beat Derek Chisora in December to retain his title.
Tommy is more well-known for his 2019 appearance on the reality show Love Island, but he has focused on boxing in the years since. His last fought saw him beat Daniel Bocianski on points in a six-round bout that was part of the undercard for Tyson’s sixth-round TKO win over Dillian Whyte in April 2022.
One could argue the relationship makes this fight against Jake Paul all the more intriguing. There have been numerous stories contending that Tyson would disown Tommy if the latter lost to Paul. Whether that’s true or not, it’s a good bet it will get at least a passing mention during Sunday’s fight broadcast.