The long-awaited bout between YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul and Tommy Fury, half-brother of two-time world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, is finally on the schedule. After two previously scheduled fights fell through, the high-profile fighters will face off on Feb. 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Paul confirmed.
“The moment of truth has finally arrived,” Paul said, via ESPN. “On Feb. 26, I will get in the ring with a ‘real boxer,’ an 8–0 fighter from a storied fighting family and show the world the truth about who Jake Paul, the boxer really is.”
He upped the stakes on social media, drawing Fury’s famous half-brother and father John Fury, a former boxer in his own right, into the fray.
“Tommy has no excuses now,” Paul wrote in a tweet. “Baby’s born. Money’s massive. Immigration no issue. Tyson promises he & Papa will make Tommy retire from boxing & change his last name if he can’t beat the YouTuber.
“Tmw I’m coming to London to look at all 3 Fury’s in the eye & shake on that promise.”
The eight-round fight will be fought at 185 pounds, per ESPN. The network’s ESPN+ pay-per-view service will carry the fight.
Paul (6–0) and Fury (8–0) were originally set to fight in Dec. 2021, but Fury had to withdraw due to illness, leading Paul to fight former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, a bout he won by knockout. They originally rescheduled to Aug. 2022, but Fury had issues entering the United States for the fight. Now, it appears that any travel issues—this time to Saudi Arabia—have been settled.
Paul’s last victory came in Oct. 2022, in a unanimous decision over UFC great Anderson Silva. Fury last fought in Apr. 2022, when he beat Daniel Bocianski on points.
