An emotional Tommy Fury dedicated his win over Jake Paul to new-born daughter Bambi on Sunday, after beating the YouTuber-turned-boxer in Saudi Arabia.
Fury, 23, was a split-decision winner against Paul, 26, after eight rounds of boxing in Diriyah. Although Fury was dropped to a knee in the final round, the Briton did enough to win on the judges’ scorecards and remain unbeaten, while handing American Paul a first loss.
Fury – half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson – then broke down in tears while conducting his post-fight interview, admitting to having dealt with significant pressure in the lead-up to the bout.
“Everybody thought I was running scared,” the former Love Island contestant said, with injury having led him to withdraw from a planned bout with Paul in 2021, and travel issues preventing the Briton from reaching the US to box the social-media star last summer.
“Tonight, I made my own legacy: I am Tommy Fury! I want to dedicate this fight to my new baby girl Bambi at home, and my Mrs [Molly-Mae Hague]. I love you.”
Meanwhile, Paul said: “All respect to Tommy, he won. Don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses.
“I don’t know if I agree with the judges – I got a 10-8 round twice. But I’ve already won in life. I’ve made it further than I ever thought I would, and beyond. This is definitely a humbling experience.”
The American added that he had suffered from sickness and an arm injury during his preparation for the fight, but he denied that he was making “excuses” and paid respect to his opponent.
Paul and Fury were docked a point each during their main-event bout, with the American penalised for punching Fury in the back of the head, before the Briton was punished for holding Paul during a clinch.
Ultimately the judges’ scorecards read 76-73, 76-73, 74-75 in favour of Fury, who remained unbeaten at 9-0 (4 knockouts) with the result, which marked a first loss for Paul (6-1, 4 KOs).
Both fighters added that they were open to a rematch.
Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.
