Tommy Fury hasn’t boxed more than six rounds in a professional or amateur match.
Tyson Fury’s younger half-brother is certain, though, that he is more than prepared to go eight hard rounds against Jake Paul on Sunday if necessary. Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) has completed eight rounds twice in six professional fights, but as has been documented ad nauseum, the brash influencer will fight an active professional boxer for the first time when he faces Fury (8-0, 4 KOs).
Paul, 26, and Fury, 23, are scheduled for eight rounds at a contracted catch weight of 185 pounds in a pay-per-view main event in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, just outside of the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
“Fighting eight rounds is not an issue,” Fury told BoxingScene.com. “I fought six before and I felt good. I’ve been sparring 12 rounds in the gym, all with fresh men. I’m getting a fresh man every round, so the distance is not gonna be a problem. My cardio is through the roof, my strength is through the roof. I don’t wanna ramble on to say that everything is amazing, but this camp has really been amazing. … I’ve left no stone unturned. Everything’s gone in my favor. I’ve had hundreds of rounds of sparring and he’s definitely in for a shock.”
Each of Fury’s past three fights have gone the distance.
The Manchester, England native went six rounds for the first time in his most recent bout, a unanimous-decision victory over Poland’s Daniel Bocianski (11-2, 2 KOs) last April 23 on the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte undercard at a sold-out Wembley Stadium in London. Fury’s two prior appearances lasted all four rounds.
Bocianski is one of only two of Fury’s opponents who entered the ring with a winning record. The combined record of the eight boxers Fury defeated is an atrocious 24-176-5.
Paul, of Westlake, Ohio, is less experienced overall than Fury. It could be argued, however, that he has faced more formidable opposition overall because two of the men Paul has beaten, former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, were elite-level mixed martial artists.
Paul dropped Silva early in the eighth round of his last fight, which Paul won by unanimous decision October 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Brazil’s Silva, who was 47 when they fought, is 3-2, including two knockouts, in professional boxing matches.
Most sportsbooks have installed Paul as a slight favorite to defeat Fury. Their pay-per-view fight will headline a BT Sport Box Office show in the United Kingdom (£19.99) and an ESPN+ card in the United States ($49.99).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.