Figure 1 Paul v Fury is one of the biggest fights of the year so far
It may be dismissed by boxing purists as a stunt, but the upcoming bout between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury is one of the biggest of the moment and has attracted the kind of attention that many boxing promoters would die for. But how did we get to this point with the sport?
Boxing has always been about promotion but have the scales switched in favour of pure marketing now? Jake Paul used to be known for his YouTube channel and pranks but now regards himself as a serious boxer first and foremost. With millions of boxing bets being placed on Paul and Fury this weekend, we take a look at how an internet sensation became one of the biggest names in boxing.
Starting Out
For anyone who doesn’t know, Jake Paul is the younger brother of YouTuber Logan and became a social media personality on Vine, a now-defunct video-hosting offshoot of Twitter. Thanks to his popularity, he then became the star of the teen Disney Channel show Bizaardvark.
Always outspoken and outrageous, Jake Paul eventually quit the show after two seasons to concentrate on his own brand in a variety of social media enterprises. Alongside his brother, Paul has been at the forefront of the YouTube generation and has used publicity – good and bad – as a major earning device.
Pranks and Scandals
Modern media is full of celebrities who don’t see the problem with courting negative attention. Jake Paul typifies that kind of person – and he has not been shy to face up to his critics. When you become a multi-millionaire before the end of your teenage years, an indestructible aura almost comes as part of the package.
In his time Jake Paul has been forced to apologize for uploading inappropriate content material when he was a Disney Channel star, as well as using racist terms in his music. He has also been accused by detractors of defrauding investors and using his persona to scam followers.
During the COVID lockdowns he attracted controversy and public complaints for hosting huge parties at his residence – and then going on to dismiss the pandemic and virus entirely. There have also been sexual abuse allegations, and he has posted videos of him seemingly breaking laws. It is fair to say that controversy follows him around.
First Fights
So how did a YouTube prankster become a boxer? Jake Paul first fought on the undercard of his brother’s headline bout with fellow social media personality KSI. Since then he has gone on to fight professionally against a number of fellow internet personalities and reality TV show contestants.
Paul’s current record is an impressive 6-0, after moving on to fights against MMA athletes in the boxing ring. Now he has become the headline event himself by agreeing to fight with Tommy Fury, half-brother of world champion Tyson.
Fighting Fury
This fight has been a long time in the making. The two fighters were supposed to meet back at the end of 2021 but Fury pulled out due to an injury. Both have had fights in the meantime but a second attempt at this contest was called off once again, as Fury encountered travel issues.
Now Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will finally step into the ring in Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia, with the world watching. Initially dismissed as white-collar, entertainment boxing, this is now considered to be a legitimate bout with two fighters who really don’t seem to like each other.
Figure 2 More and more social media personalities have now stepped into the ring
Is This the Future?
The WBC has said that if Jake Paul is successful this weekend that he will receive a cruiserweight world ranking. After being able to promote this fight on major broadcasting networks, this would seem to be the final part of legitimizing his boxing career.
Although YouTube personalities fighting in the ring is nothing new – and is becoming even more prevalent – there is no doubt that Jake Paul is now a serious fighter. Whether he should be getting more attention than other fighters is another question altogether. But this is a sport that has always been about self-promotion, and this modern type of fight – and fighter – is something that we will probably have to get used to.
