Jake Paul has revealed that he earned $30 million (£25 million) by fighting Tommy Fury despite suffering the first defeat of his boxing career.
The former YouTuber and children’s television star was beaten by split decision in Saudi Arabia after an even battle between two relatively inexperienced fighters.
Paul had the better of Fury, the younger half-brother of heayweight champion Tyson, for periods of the eight-round encounter, but could not produce a knockout blow.
And come the close of an at-times sloppy affair, two judges scored the encounter Fury’s way, granting the British boxer victory.
Despite defeat, Paul was able to take the positives of a fight that drew significant interest.
Posting on Instagram, a video showed Paul pretending to cry before breaking into a broad grin, with the 26-year-old captioning the footage: “When you lost but made $30m.”
After finally meeting after two previous attempts to set up a bout were cancelled, the pair could now meet again in a lucrative rematch.
The American indicated that he would be triggering a contract option for a second fight immediately after the loss, suggesting that his build-up to his first fight with Fury had been hampered by illness and injury.
“We can run it back,” Paul said. “I think we deserve that rematch. All respect to Tommy, he won. Don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses.
“I felt flat - I got sick really bad twice in this camp, injured my arm. This wasn’t my best performance, but that’s no excuse. This is definitely a humbling experience. I’ve made it further than I ever thought that I would, and beyond.”
