This weekend, a question that has haunted the minds of boxing professionals for aeons will finally be answered: can a man from Love Island punch a Youtuber in the face? Well, we’re about to find out.
The bout — held in Saudi Arabia — sees Jake Paul, who has a brother named Logan, face off against Tommy Fury who has a different brother, named Tyson. It is not perhaps a fight many boxing fans are taking especially seriously.
Nevertheless, there is considerable interest in the match up. Paul, who holds a record of 6-0, will receive validation in the form of an official professional ranking should he win. There’s a lot on the line for Fury too; should the boxer, who carries the weight of a family name on his shoulders, not stop Paul, his promising career threatens to derail.
The biggest issue facing the capital’s venues, though, seems to be that this fight falls on the fence: to show or not to show, that is the question. With only a small handful of decent places opting to air, it’s important to know where to go (and importantly, where to swerve).
The fight will be held on Sunday February 26, with the ring walk due at 9.30pm UK time. Coverage, including the undercard, starts a couple of hours earlier — here’s where to head to soak up all the atmosphere, and make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Greenwood
Greenwood has quietly become one of the slickest sports bars in town. Its popularity can be put down to a cracking atmosphere, geared towards big screenings of the biggest sporting events. The tellies are abundant and the food is unfussy; think burgers, nachos and classic crowd-pleasers, done well. Pints are decent, too.
170 Victoria Street, SW1E 5LB, greenwoodlondon.com
The Dugout at Belushi’s London Bridge
Belushi’s is synonymous with the sports bar. Over by London Bridge, the main space offers viewing opportunities a-plenty, but the real gems are the private caves. These smaller spaces allow for a group to really get into it and include little perks such as games consoles and fully stocked private fridges. One to gather the troops for and let loose. Granted, they’re watching footie in the picture above, but you get the idea.
161-165 Borough High Street, SE1 1HR, belushis.com
The Minories London
The Minories, just off Tower Hill, is a proper under-the-arches boozer. It’s all brass fittings and dark wood panels. They also make a point of showing as much live sport as they can. It’s not the biggest venue in the list, so booking is recommended, but fortunately they have a few tables left for the pay-per-view boxing this weekend.
64-73 Minories, EC3N 1LA, crafted-social.co.uk
Beechwood
Beechwood is a more recent addition to the London sports bar scene, but has the right recipe thanks to their links with the Greenwood family. With a location right by Liverpool Street station, it should prove convenient enough for just about anyone to get to and with “live sports” bookings available, they can ensure prime placement in sight of their plentiful big-screens.
1A Principal Place, Worship Street, EC2A 2FA, beechwoodsportspub.com
The World’s End
A true locals pub, the World’s End regularly show the football, rugby and in this case boxing. Hearty, simple pub fare is what’s on the menu and with a small stage at the rear which converts into a screening room for sporting events, booking is highly advised.
21-23 Stroud Green, N4 3JF, worldsendfinsburypark.com
Westwood
One of west London’s better venues for sport, Westwood is found inside the Westfield shopping behemoth and also offers a “live sports” booking to guarantee sight of the fight (it too is part of Greenwood and co). The food is the crowd-pleasing kind and the drinks, plentiful. Happily, they appear to have dropped requests for larger minimum spends too, with just £10pp needed to secure a sports view booking.
Westfield London, W12 7HB, westwoodsportspub.com
Famous Three Kings
The Famous Three Kings is, well, famous for showing live sport. In west London it ranks among the best places to pull up and settle in for a good match up, not least as they have some better than average fare to offer. Their burger of the month is actually currently, er, a hotdog — taking inspiration from the recent Superbowl — yet promises classic beef burger flavours. If it sounds messy, it is.
171 North End Road, W14 9NL, crafted-social.co.uk
Longarm Pub and Brewery
Wings? Loaded fries? Burgers? Beers? What more could a fight pre-game wish for? The food at this bustling bar just behind Finsbury Square is dependable and with bookings that can guarantee some screen time, it’s an ideal spot to park up an hour or so early and get ready for the action.
