Jake Paul is kicking himself for losing against someone he does not believe even represented the toughest fight of his career.
Paul, the Youtuber-turned-boxer, suffered his first professional loss last weekend to Tommy Fury in an eight-round cruiserweight bout in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The highly hyped fight was notable because it featured Paul in his first fight against a so-called legitimate boxer; the majority of Paul’s previous five fights came against former mixed-martial-arts fighters. Fury, the brother of WBC heavyweight titlist Tyson, shook off a late knockdown in the final round to win a decision.
The 26-year-old Paul, however, said in a recent interview that he never really felt threatened by Fury and that he feels the reason he lost the fight lies with him, not his adversary. Paul, moreover, pointed out that he thinks his last opponent, UFC legend Anderson Silva, was “tougher” than Fury.
“Dude, that’s what is pissing me off the most,” Paul told his brother Logan on the latest episode of his eponymous podcast, BS with Jake Paul. “It had nothing to do with [Fury], it had everything to do with me. He wasn’t that great, at all. I think Anderson was tougher than him, and I figured out that puzzle. [Fury] threw a lot of punches, that was his biggest thing.”
Asked to rate Fury’s power, Paul offered a mild endorsement.
It’s good, it’s good,” he said. It’s whatever.”
Paul, who also manages fighters, such as multi-division champion Amanda Serrano, under his Most Valuable Promotions label, revealed that he was sick for nearly half of his nine-week training camp leading to the Fury fight.
Paul said the illness contributed to what he feels was a relatively lethargic performance.
“I think lots of reasons [led to a lack of energy during the fight],” Paul continued. “Yeah, I mean, I was sick for four weeks out of this nine-week camp. And I was travelling jetlagged another week after that.”
Paul has indicated that he plans to trigger his (one-sided) rematch clause with Fury, who in turn has embraced the idea of a second go-around.