Jake Paul suffers his first boxing defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury

On February 26, outspoken influencer Jake Paul met Tommy Fury for a boxing match in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. With a victory over his British foe, the younger Paul brother would have become an officially-ranked fighter — but he couldn’t quite get the job done. Fury outlasted Paul via split decision to end the YouTube star’s unbeaten run in the ring.

The bout lasted the full eight rounds, with both combatants landing punches throughout the event. The New York Times described the skill level of the fight as “professional but not elite.”

Fury established a consistent advantage throughout the fight, though Paul made a case for himself by scoring a knockdown in the final round. Two judges put Fury ahead on their cards, while the third favored Paul. The split decision win brings Fury’s boxing record to an unblemished 9-0, while Paul fell to 6-1.

A meeting between Paul and Fury had been long-anticipated. The two fighters have been compared to one another because of their large social media followings, boxing prowess, and famous siblings. Fury is the brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury and a former contestant on the U.K. reality series Love Island.

The two influencer-boxers were initially supposed to tussle in a December 2021 clash, but Fury backed out before t

he fight could take place. He and Paul eventually set a date to meet in Saudi Arabia, and there was plenty of smack talk leading up to February 26. Fury was so confident that he promised to retire from boxing if Paul bested him.

Paul showed plenty of his own braggadocio before the fight, but he proved gracious in defeat. He congratulated Fury and expressed immediate interest in a rematch. “All respect to Tommy, he won, don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses,” Paul said. “I’ll come back, I thought I deserve that rematch, it was a great fight, a close fight.”

Fury complemented Paul’s abilities and promised that the second confrontation between the two fighters will be an even “better fight.” While he waits for that grudge match to be scheduled, Fury can take on any of the other influencer-boxers who have called him out. J.J. “KSI” Olatunji, who co-founded beverage brand Prime alongside Jake’s brother Logan, believes he has what it takes to defeat Fury. His secret? He drinks a lot of Prime.

Though Fury was ruled the victor in Sunday’s bout, the host country also received a different type of win. Numerous top athletes came out to spectate the match, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays his club soccer in Saudi Arabia. One person’s spectacle is another person’s “sportswashing,” and critics of Saudi Arabia fell squarely in the latter camp. Needless to say, no one can take Fury’s W away — and his opponent won’t get his professional ranking just yet.