Jake Paul suffers 1st loss of boxing career in split decision against Tommy Fury | CBC Sports

Jake Paul suffered the first loss of his fledgling boxing career as he was edged out by Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, with the British reality TV star scoring a split decision win against the American social media star.

Watched by luminaries such as Fury’s half-brother and current WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, former champion Mike Tyson and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently joined Saudi club Al Nassr, Paul’s considerable shortcomings were highlighted as Fury picked him off over eight rounds.

“Tonight I made my own legacy, I made my own legacy,” Fury said, finally stepping out of the shadow of his illustrious boxing family.

“All the way through these two and a half years, I had a dream, a vision, and no-one believed me. Now they can stand up and take note,” he added.

Fury had the better of the opening exchanges but Paul began to settle in the third as he tried to lure his opponent forward and counter with big right hands.

Fury had a strong seventh round despite a cut near his left eye from a clash of heads, repeatedly tagging Paul with combinations.

A short left hand downed Fury in the eighth and final round to shift the momentum in Paul’s favour to set up a grandstand finish in which both men chased a knockout punch that never materialized.

Fury finished strong and claimed the decision.

“All respect to Tommy, he won, don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses. I’ll come back, I thought I deserve that rematch, it was a great fight, a close fight,” Paul said in the ring as his boxing record slipped to six wins and one loss.

Two judges scored the bout 76-73 for Fury (9-0, 4 KOs), while the third favoured Paul, 75-74.

Fury is the first actual professional boxer fought by Paul, who built his lucrative second career by taking on mixed martial artists and a fellow YouTuber in boxing bouts that generated huge social media attention despite featuring more enthusiasm than skill.

Fury also is much better known as a celebrity sibling — and much more accomplished as a reality television star — than as a boxer, leading to a relatively even matchup with Paul. Fury’s unbeaten record entering this bout was built against a series of wildly overmatched opponents with a combined record of 24-176-5.

Fury and Paul were slated to meet two times previously, but Fury was unavailable for both showdowns. He injured a rib before their scheduled bout in December 2021, and he was denied entry to the U.S. last summer ahead of a planned meeting in August.

Paul used the postponements to taunt Fury, and the emotions built into a contentious weigh-in earlier this week in Saudi Arabia, which jumped at the chance to underwrite this boxing spectacle and social media event.

39-year-old Badou Jack wins WBC cruiserweight title

In the co-main event challenger Badou Jack put on a clinical display of boxing, stopping Ilunga Makabu in the 12th and final round to win the WBC cruiserweight title, the third weight class in which the 39-year-old Swede has held a world title.

Jack downed Makabu with a big right hand in the fourth round and decked him again in a similar manner in the 11th, and though South African Makabu’s undoubted power posed a threat until late in the fight, he eventually capitulated.

With his corner telling him ahead of the final round that he needed a knockout to win, Makabu came out swinging, but Jack’s crisp combinations overcame him, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight as the Swede claimed the belt.