In a boxing show intended to enhance Saudi Arabia’s reputation as a top-tier fight destination, British reality TV star Tommy Fury defeated American YouTuber Jake Paul on points Sunday. To the delight of the Saudi crowd, who chanted “Let’s go Tommy” in the closing moments, Fury won the cruiserweight fight despite being knocked down in the eighth and final round. Fury, who is Tyson Fury’s half-brother but is better known for his appearance on the dating programme Love Island, addressed the crowd through tears after the match and said he had “made my own legacy” with the victory.
After the fight, Paul, who refers to himself as “The Problem Child”, was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd when he claimed that he had gotten very sick twice during his training camp and had also injured his arm. Despite this, he quickly added that he was not using these issues as excuses for his performance in the fight.
According to him, Fury had “impressive combinations,” but the defeat was “a reflection of my own performance,” he told the media.
I just felt kind of flat and I couldn’t get my momentum going like I wanted to, he said.
Fury’s boast was that he had “showed everybody that I ain’t scared of no one and that I can cut it in the big dance.” Fury was ecstatic with his victory.
Prior to switching to boxing about five years ago, Paul first amassed fame and millions of followers on the now-defunct social media platforms Vine and YouTube.
Prior to their fight on Sunday, his opponents included three mixed martial artists and another YouTuber, giving him a 6-0 record with four knockouts.
Despite the fact that he had previously faced opponents who were hardly well-known, he was looking to improve his reputation before facing Fury, who was also unbeaten.
Numerous observers have questioned whether either of the two men should be taken seriously due to their unique backgrounds.
Nevertheless, Saudi officials touted Sunday’s contest as evidence of their country’s expanding influence in the boxing world.
Allegations of “sportswashing”
It was built upon the “Clash on the Dunes” fight in 2019, the first world heavyweight title fight held in Saudi Arabia, where Anthony Joshua defeated Andy Ruiz to reclaim his title.
In the “Rage on the Red Sea” in Jeddah last year, Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine defeated Joshua in a split decision.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, comedian Kevin Hart, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently playing club football in Saudi Arabia, were all in attendance on Sunday.
According to Saudi officials, there has been a rise in domestic boxing interest in recent years, with the country now having 59 boxing gyms, up from seven.
By 2030, they want to have 500,000 boxers in the kingdom.
They have taken pride in staging the Paul-Fury match after earlier attempts to hold it in the United States were unsuccessful.
Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz said at a press conference prior to the fight, “Paul versus Fury has taken a long time to make and it has finally been made, which is significant for the landscape of boxing in Saudi Arabia.
“We were certain that we would stage this fight. We were aware of its potential and believed we could overcome obstacles to bring it about.”
Ziyad Almaayouf, a fighter from Saudi Arabia who made his professional debut at “Rage on the Red Sea,” and Ragad Al Naimi, the nation’s first female professional boxer, each won their respective fights on Sunday’s undercard.
The promotion of boxing in Saudi Arabia has increased claims of “sportswashing,” or the use of sports to obscure violations of human rights.
Paul, however, downplayed the problem in a conversation with AFP.
I accept things as they are because that is how I perceive them, he said.
“I believe there is a lot of judgement online about everyone — people today, famous people, nations, and so on and so forth but I’ve only had great experiences,” the speaker said.
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