Jake Paul Takes First Boxing Loss By Split Decision To Tommy Fury

“The Problem Child” wasn’t enough of a problem for Tommy Fury.

Fury defeated Jake Paul, the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter, by split decision in a pay-per-view match Sunday in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Two judges scored the clash 76-73 for Fury (9-0, 4 KOs), while the third favored Paul, 75-74.

It was Paul’s first loss, and it was also his first professional fight against a “real” boxer. Paul had constructed a 6-0 record against a fellow YouTuber, an NBA player and three over-the-hill MMA fighters.

Even in defeat, Paul found triumph. “I’ve already won every single way in life,” he said after the loss. “I made it farther than I ever thought I would, and beyond. This is a humbling experience. I’ll take it on the chin and come back.”

Fury — the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury — showcased his superior boxing skills by scoring the sharper blows throughout the bout. Paul rallied with a knockdown in the eighth and final round to tighten up the scores.

Both fighters enjoyed moments in the first four rounds in front of a star-studded audiences, but Fury, who has the longer reach, kept Paul at a distance with an impressive jab that he often paired with a straight right.

Paul appeared to daze Fury with a pinpoint left hook early in the fifth round. But the referee interjected himself into the narrative by first penalizing Paul a point for apparently pushing down on Fury’s head in a clinch. The ref then deducted a point from Fury in the sixth, apparently for clinching.

Fury, who suffered a cut near his left eye from a clash of heads, had a solid seventh round, unloading some of his best combinations of the fight. But, in the eighth, Paul’s stiff jab sent Fury to the canvas for a split second. The knockdown added some drama before the fight went to the scorecards.

The bout had been scheduled twice before but canceled both times. Paul and Fury were set to fight in December 2021 and again in August 2022, but Fury had a health problem the first time and travel issues the second time.

“This is my first main event,” Fury said after beating Paul. “I’m only going to go stronger, I’m going to go bigger, I’m only going to go better… If he wants a rematch, bring it on.”

And a rematch just may happen. Paul has such a clause in the contract and hinted he will use it. He said he disagreed with the judges’ results. He also said he had a health problem during training camp and was suffering from an arm injury.

But for Fury, only the victory matters. “This, to me, is a world title fight,” he said. “I trained so hard for this. This was my destiny.”

And here was his moment: