Youtube star turned boxer, Jake Paul, has embraced the WBC’s decision to grant him a world ranking at cruiserweight – if he defeats Tommy Fury.
Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) will collide with Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) in a battle of unbeatens on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
Fury, the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, will be the first boxer that Paul’s has faced in his career.
Paul, confident of victory, feels ready to crash the world rankings.
“I think it’s cool if [the WBC] want to rank me, that’s fine. It’s not up to me. I’m not in control of the WBC and whatever it is that they want to do,” Paul told Sky Sports.
“I’m challenging myself more than most pro fighters, all pro fighters, in their seventh fight. Most pro fighters in their seventh fight are fighting guys with losing records. I’m fighting now Tommy Fury, legendary bloodline, 8-0, in just my seventh fight. I’ve beaten a lot of people in sparring who are in the cruiserweight rankings so to me it makes sense. But of course the purists are always going to be mad at me.”
The fight was scheduled to take place on two prior occasions. In 2021, Fury withdrew from the bout with a rib injury suffered in training camp. A year later, Fury was unable to move forward with the fight for a second time, after he was denied entry into the United States.
The two-year delay has further groomed the rivalry.
“There’s a lot of hype around it. He has a big name. His brother’s the heavyweight champion of the world. He’s been doing this since he was 10 years old, he’s a professional boxer, same age-ish, same weight. He’s got the longer reach. Got advantages on me,” Paul said.
“We’ve already gone past the ‘moving too fast’. This is a rollercoaster ride and it seems on pace actually for the speed that I’m moving at.”