Eddie Hearn thinks Tommy Fury will knockout Jake Paul inside two rounds if he doesn't "dither around" in their fight.
Love Island star Fury and YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul look to keep their unbeaten records intact when they finally meet in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The rivals have been butting heads for well over a year and two previous bookings against them have been cancelled after Fury pulled out due to injury and travel issues.
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn was backing Paul to hand Fury his first professional loss, but has now made a "total U-turn" on his prediction just days out from the grudge fight. The promoter thinks Fury will stop Paul in just two rounds if he comes out "like a train" and overwhelms 'The Problem Child'.
Who wins on Sunday - Jake Paul or Tommy Fury? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
“I have made a total U-turn on this fight. I thought Jake Paul was going to win this fight. I now think Jake Paul has absolutely no chance to win this fight at all," Hearn told Boxing Social. "If Tommy Fury comes out aggressively and puts it on Jake Paul, this fight will not go two rounds.
"This is a massive u-turn for me because both are limited, but Tommy Fury as limited as he is for a professional boxer has been boxing for ten or twelve years, maybe more. He’s been in the ring against professional fighters, he’s done the hard spars, he’s an outsider in this fight, but he is going to win by stoppage. He should come out like a train and he will stop him out.”
Bookies have Paul as a considerable favourite in the fight despite him only taking up the sport three years ago after ditching his internet fame for a career in the ring. Fury has been involved in boxing for well over a decade and turned professional in 2018, but Paul is considered by many as his toughest opponent to date. Hearn believes Fury has big value as an underdog and thinks he needs to "stick it on" Paul early in their fight.
"Obviously anything can happen but I think Tommy Fury has massive value," Hearn added. "I've just changed my mind completely, I've thought about it just like 'no'. Tommy Fury knows how to punch correctly and knows how to fight, but if he dithers around and just boxes with him, anything could happen. If he sticks it on him, he will stop him inside two rounds. He should come out like a train and he will knock him out."