Hall of Fame trainer Teddy Atlas is backing Jake Paul to come out on top in his upcoming fight with unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Tommy Fury.
Fury and Paul will finally collide on February 26 in Saudi Arabia.
They were scheduled to collide on two occasions, with Fury being unable to move forward both times.
Paul, a popular Youtuber who turned to pro boxing, is undefeated with a 6-0 record and 4 knockouts – but he’s yet to face an actual boxer.
Fury, the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, comes from a fighting family, but he’s never faced a real test and his level of opposition is very questionable.
Based on all the factors, Atlas feels confident that Paul will come out on top.
“Tommy Fury, [Paul] picked him for a reason,” Atlas said on his podcast. “Fury, he’s a guy who’s obviously been fighting longer, he comes from the Fury family, he’s obviously had more experience, he’s been around boxing most of his life. He knows how to look like a fighter, [but] I don’t know if he knows how to fight like a fighter. Jake Paul is learning how to behave like a fighter. I don’t know that Tommy completely knows that yet.
“I’m gonna put it in context. Fury is 8-0. The combined records of all of his eight opponents. 24 wins, 176 losses, and five draws. [Paul] said, ‘You’ve fought nothing but taxi drivers!’ I would add something to that, they’re very bad taxi drivers. They don’t even have a license.
“[Fury] reminds me of a guy you would hire for TV [or] movie to look like a fighter. He’s not a puncher. He’s not physical… He’s not that guy. Jake Paul is physically strong. Fury’s not physically strong. I think that’s why he picked him. He’s not stupid. I think he thinks he can use his physicality, and I think he thinks he’s mentally tougher. And he might be right.
“Right now, with the little bit I have to work on. I would say maybe [Paul] is, that he’s more determined [and] a little tougher mentally. So, I’m gonna go with what I’ve seen and what I’ve known. So, I don’t care what people think. I’m gonna pick Jake Paul.”