After two separate fight cancelations and a veritable firehose of vitriol, arch-rivals Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will finally share a ring this afternoon (Sun., Feb. 26, 2023) inside Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Arena.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the main event right here, plus quick results from the rest of the main card right here. The ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast will kickoff at 2 p.m. ET, with Paul and Fury likely to make the walk closer to 5 p.m. ET.

Fury — half-brother of Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury — withdrew from the first date because of injury and the second due to travel issues. In the meantime, Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley in their rematch and out-dueled the legendary Anderson Silva, all while trash-talking Fury at every opportunity.

The PPV card also sees Badou Jack challenge Ilunga Makabu for WBC’s Cruiserweight title, but we all know which fight is selling tickets. So, who takes it?

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Jake “The Problem Child” Paul

Age: 26
Record: 6-0 (4 KO)
Last Five Fights: Anderson Silva (UD), Tyron Woodley (KO-6), Tyron Woodley (SD), Ben Askren (TKO-1), Nate Robinson (KO-2)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): None
DraftKings Sportsbook odds: -155

VS.

Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

Tommy “TNT” Fury

Age: 23
Record: 8-0 (4 KO)
Last Five Fights: Daniel Bocianski (PTS), Anthony Taylor (UD), Jordan Grant (PTS), Scott Williams (KO-2), Genadij Krajevskij (TKO-2)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): None
DraftKings Sportsbook odds: +125

THE FIGHT

Much can be (and has been) said about Paul’s career and who he is as a person. Yes, he’s almost exclusively fought smaller men with no boxing experience. Yes, his most impressive feat to date was beating a 47-year-old Anderson Silva (watch highlights). Yes, he once fought Ben Askren, a man notorious for having not just bad striking, but cartoonishly nonexistent striking.

But heck, the kid can fight.

Strip away all the frippery and you’ve got a genuinely talented young man who started too late to develop into a genuine contender but is still making consistent strides. It’s not like Fury’s competition has been much better; his first seven opponents had a combined record of 14-175-5, and recent foe Daniel Bocianski was one of the weakest 10-1 fighters you’re likely to see.

I think we can go ahead and call them even on that front, so let’s just focus on actual boxing skills. Fury unquestionably has the better jab of the two, but doesn’t put his power punches together as nicely as Paul, who’s the naturally larger man on top of boasting heavier hands. Paul also figures to be the superior body puncher, and since Fury isn’t slick enough with his movement to keep things at jabbing distance, that’s likely to play a key factor.

Fury’s not awful by 23-year-old standards and can put together some decent flurries, but his propensity for arm punches, middling footwork and tendency to get tied up all point to Paul overpowering him in an ugly affair. Unless Paul’s verbal onslaught has awakened a dormant monster, he out-hustles Fury to a decision win or mid-round knockout.

Prediction: Paul def. Fury via unanimous decision

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