Jake Paul Favored Over Tommy Fury in Feb. 26 Saudi Arabia Bout

Posted on: January 28, 2023, 03:47h. 

Last updated on: January 28, 2023, 06:13h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

It looks like the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fight is finally back on again.

Jake Paul
Fighter and social media star Jake Paul trains for a fight. On Friday, the Betr cofounder and Tommy Fury announced they would fight each other on Feb. 26 in Saudi Arabia. (Image: Most Valuable Promotions/Twitter)

Media reports Friday indicated the two sides have agreed to an eight-round fight on Feb. 26 in Saudi Arabia at 185 pounds.

The two undefeated fighters were supposed to meet in December 2021. But that was scrubbed after Fury came down with an illness. An attempt to fight last August at Madison Square Garden got nixed after Fury had issues entering the US.

Not surprisingly, both fighters have hyped the fight on their social media accounts. Fury doing so on Instagram, and Paul on Twitter and Instagram, referring to his opponent as “Fumbles” in an Instagram post.

Fumbles has no excuses now,” Paul said. “Baby is born. Money is massive. Immigration is not an issue.”

In the States, the fight will air on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Social Media vs. Reality TV Clash

Both fighters are known as much for their exploits outside the ring as they are for their work in it.

Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, is 8-0 in his career, with four knockouts. He last fought in April in an undercard bout prior to Tyson Fury knocking out Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.

Tommy Fury also was a contestant on the British version of Love Island. He and his partner, Molly-Mae Hague, were the runners-up in the 2019 season of the reality TV show. Fury also has broad appeal on social media, as his Instagram account reaches 4.3 million followers.

Paul, a former child actor, has an even bigger following on social media. He boasts 21.8 million followers on Instagram, 20.3 million subscribers on YouTube, and 4.5 million followers on Twitter.

Last year, Paul made news by joining with Joey Levy to create Betr, an online sports betting company that’s focused on micro-betting, or in-game wagers. The $50 million startup launched earlier this month in its first state, Paul’s home state of Ohio.

Besides the micro-betting focus, Betr also seeks to leverage Paul’s social media stature to help acquire customers through original online content.

Paul, who has four knockouts in his six wins, also has other ventures. That includes his own fight promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions.

UK Oddsmakers Tab Paul as Favorite

After a search of some American operators, it doesn’t appear that wagering on the fight is available in the US just yet. However, according to Oddschecker, there are several British books taking bets.

For now, all of them have Paul as the slight favorite. That’s despite Paul having a reputation for not facing real boxers. His previous opponents include former UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, and former NBA guard Nate Robinson.

Paul’s odds range from 1.67 at Boyle Sports to 1.5 at bet365. Those decimal odds are equal to roughly -150 to -200. Odds for Fury right now range from 2.2 at Boyle, the equivalent of +120, to 2.63 (or +163) at bet365 and SkyBet.

Oddsmakers also believe the fight will last all eight rounds, with Betfair and PaddyPower offering -250 for the fight to end with a decision. SkyBet offers -175 on that scenario.