Jake Paul, who recently made waves by signing on with the PFL and promising to cross over to MMA, will first return to the ring.
His opponent is a name most fight fans will be familiar with: Tommy Fury. And this time, it might actually happen.
Paul vs. Fury is expected to take place on February 25, 2023, reportedly in Saudi Arabia. Boxing Kingdom was first to report the match-up being signed.
The pair have been lined up twice before: initially, Paul was to face Fury, the first actual boxer the Youtuber has attempted to compete against, in December 2021. However, when Fury pulled out due to medical reasons, Tyron Woodley, former UFC welterweight champion, instead fought Paul for a second time, losing decisively by knockout.
The bout was again lined up for Madison Square Garden in New York City last August. Again, Fury pulled out of the fight, after reportedly running into complications entering the U.S. Those complications were potentially due to links to Daniel Kinahan, a wanted fugitive and head of Ireland’s Kinahan cartel. Kinahan had helped found MTK Global, a management firm that boasted heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Tommy’s brother, among its clientele.
Paul appears to be hoping the third time is the charm, and hosting the fight in the middle east at least eliminates the issue of Tommy Fury being granted access to America.
Fury is 8-0 as a professional boxer. Paul is 6-0, though his level of competition has mainly been made up of aging former MMA stars.
