Jake Paul backed to "mess with" Tommy Fury before knocking out rival

02 February 2023 , 18:53

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Jake Paul backed to "mess with" Tommy Fury before knocking out rival

Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn thinks Jake Paul will mentally break Tommy Fury before knocking him out in their grudge fight.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul is scheduled to fight bitter rival Fury on February 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight has now been scheduled three times, as the pair were first scheduled to meet in December 2021 but Fury withdrew due to a chest infection and broken rib. A rescheduled clash between the duo was also cancelled last August when visa issues prevented Fury from travelling to the US.

Hearn and Paul worked together when they promoted Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano last year, but have since fallen out as Hearn is suing Paul for comments he made after the fight. The boxing promoter isn't letting his ongoing lawsuit get in the way of his prediction for Paul vs Fury, as he thinks Paul's trash talk will get to the Brit.

"All the criticism about Jake is 'You never fought a boxer' but he's about to. Not a very good one, but still a boxer. I think he'll mess with Tommy mentally and by the time they get in the ring Tommy will be defeated before the fight. I think Jake will win by knockout," Hearn said on The MMA Hour.

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“I respect Jake on many levels. Firstly, I think that he’s improved as a fighter. I don’t share his views that he’s gonna go on and become a world-class fighter. He’s involved in a sport that’s very tough and he’s put himself in the line of fire in battle, doing the hard camps, doing the sparring."

Hearn previously labelled Paul as an "average boxer" and thinks he will never win a world title in the sport, something Paul was extremely offended by. 'The Problem Child' has even claimed he could beat undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and Hearn explained Paul's his "delusional" mindset is a powerful tool.

Jake Paul and Tommy Fury fight on February 26 (Top Rank via Getty Images)

"His confidence is actually what's helping him in achieving," Hearn added. "I don't mean to be disrespectful when I say deluded, but he is deluded to a point that when he steps in the ring, he thinks he does have that ability. That's important because mindset is everything in boxing, so mentally he will break Tommy Fury.

"As a businessman and content creator, he is outstanding. I don't see him as a YouTuber, I just see him as a fighter. That doesn't mean he's going to win a world title as there are a lot of fighters out there. I don't have anything negative to say about him, I think it's quite an intriguing fight with Fury."

Harry Davies