Jake Paul takes boxing to new heights by fighting Fury

Jake Paul’s unusual and unorthodox boxing career could take a serious turn.

The YouTube influencer-turned-boxer will face a big-name professional boxer for the first time on Sunday when he steps into the ring with Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Since venturing into boxing in 2018, Paul has faced off against another influencer, a former NBA basketball player and three mixed martial artists. He won all of those fights, shaping his already strong brand.

Facing Fury is widely considered a more formal step, and the World Boxing Council (WBC), which sanctions the fight, recognizes that. In fact, if Paul – a 26-year-old blond, bearded, social media phenom – wins, he will receive a cruiserweight spot in the world rankings.

“Jake has dedication and respect for the sport,” the agency acknowledged, “and the WBC will not tolerate discrimination against anyone. He deserves the opportunities that any boxer has.”

It will hardly be a popular move among boxing traditionalists.

While Paul doesn’t exactly operate in those circles or try to please that segment, he has charted a very different path in the boxing world and become a success. The fight with Fury will be shown on pay-per-view and is considered a big enough event to be staged in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia with a lot of money on the line.

Paul rose to fame ten years ago posting videos on Vine and later as a cast member on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. His growth as an influencer has not been without controversy, including allegations of sexual assault by two women in 2021, for which he has not faced formal charges, and his apparent use of slurs. racists when rapping in some videos in 2018.

Boxing is his most recent passion. He joined the pro in 2019 and said he “takes it very seriously”. The Cleveland boxer says he has a support team of about 30 people for his training, which takes place mostly in Puerto Rico.

“My life is on the line,” he told Britain’s The Independent newspaper of the fight with Fury, “so I’m not going to take it lightly.”