TOMMY FURY and Jake Paul jetted out of Saudi Arabia with their bank balances grossly inflated – but their world title bubbles finally burst.
Sunday night’s Saudi Arabia circus was many things; a masterclass in PR, a sportswashing spectacular, an intriguing 50-50 match-up, a huge commercial success and a clumsy hard-to-watch tangle of punches.
One thing it certainly was not was a springboard into serious boxing bouts or even domestic titles.
These handsome, rich and successful young men can do almost anything they want to. But mixing it with legitimate fighters – past, present or future – is beyond them.
Paul, the American 26-year-old master marketeer who promised to beat Mexican ring legend Canelo Alvarez after dealing with Fury, bumped his thinning thatch on the ceiling he hit with a split decision loss.
Fury, the 23-year-old little brother of Tyson who charmed us on Love Island, has always been more modest but suffered from his pushy father’s bluster about being another world champion in the gene pool.
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But neither of these brave, fit, strong and popular social media stars will ever win a genuine boxing belt on merit.
Any Area or English champion currently competing around their weight – while struggling to make a living and almost all juggling a 9-5 manual job on the side – would wipe the floor with either of them.
The grasping WBC sanctioning body might invent more glittery straps for Fury and Paul to grapple over.
But the absolute myth that these men could ever lace the boots of – let alone compete with – bonafide boxers is now, thankfully, firmly in the bin.
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Former super-middleweight world champ Carl Froch – one of the names Paul ridiculously tried to call out – summed it up with typically ruthless precision.
After the split decision sparked Fury’s tears, the Cobra spat: “It might not shut him up for long, but Jake Paul can’t call himself a professional boxer because he’s gone in against a novice pro and got absolutely whooped.
“Tommy got a thoroughly deserved win against a really basic, hapless Jake Paul.
“Tommy’s done professional boxing purists a massive favour by shutting up Jake Paul.
“He can’t call himself a professional boxer because he’s gone in against a novice pro and got absolutely whooped. He got obliterated.”
Paul can activate a rematch clause, if he decides against it then Fury is free to explore a bout with fellow Englishman and internet phenomenon KSI.
For risking their giant followings and youthful good looks, these men deserve credit. But the blurring of the lines between YouTube boxing and real boxing now has to stop.
These clashes might be classed as professional boxing bouts but they generate much more money and a lot less quality than the real thing.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
