A bare-knuckle boxer who has fought against Tommy Fury has revealed one thing about the 23-year-old that could see him unravel against Jake Paul when they meet on Sunday.
Paul and Fury seem to have a genuine dislike for one another – the foundation of any good boxing rivalry – and have been circling this fight for years, with two dates called off before now.
This Sunday in Saudi Arabia, they’ll both put their unbeaten records on the line to settle their beef once and for all, with the winner taking home a huge purse for two fighters at this stage of their careers, and the loser taking a gigantic slice of humble pie.
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For Fury, coming into this fight as the professional boxer, his reputation is on the line.
For Paul, he stands to lose his zero, but also needs to prove that he can fight against opponents that aren’t basketball players, YouTubers, and aging UFC fighters.
Bare-knuckle boxer Danny Christie has sparred with Fury in the lead-up to this fight – which is being billed as ‘The Truth’ – and he believes that the young British hopeful has more than enough to deal with Paul, so long as he doesn’t get carried away chasing the decisive blow.
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On the younger Fury’s talent, he told The Sun: “He’s very, very good at the basics and that’s what you need to master to reach the top level.
“Just look at his brother Tyson, he’s very, very good at the fundamentals; good jab, good movement and he’s able to frustrate fighters over a number of rounds.
“And I think Tommy has the potential to have those capabilities, as a 23-year-old kid, he’s very impressive.”
In the ring with Tommy, Christie was clearly fascinated by what he saw.
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“I was more than impressed,” he continued. “I knew he was going to be decent but he was much better than decent. He was better in all areas that I thought he was going to be.
“I was very impressed with his jab, his movement, his feints, his power and his strengths.
“He’s very physically strong, I remember being in the clinch with him and it was almost like he had roots, it was like a tree in the ground.
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“He was very strong and a very physical young man. I was impressed in all areas.
“He was much better than I’ve seen him on the TV and apparently he’s the best version of himself right now and it certainly showed in the spar.”
Still, there is one thing that could catch him out.
Christie believes that chasing Paul’s head – and with it the knockout – could make the fight more of a contest.
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He explained: “I’m very confident he’ll get the win. But in my opinion, with this becoming a very personal affair he may become overzealous, he may - and I hope he doesn’t - go looking for the knockout.
“Once it turns into a firefight it’s anybody’s game and Jake Paul is a powerful lad as we know.
“But for me, the keys for victory for Tommy are just using his good boxing, using his good fundamentals, doubling and tripling up that jab."
“A lot of feints, a lot of movement and just busting him up over the first few rounds and just getting him frustrated and marking him up.
“I think Tommy can win quite easily if he sticks to his fundamentals but like I said, if it turns into a firefight, who knows? It’s anyone’s game.”
We’ll find out on Sunday whether Fury is the superior boxer, or whether Jake Paul might actually be worth some of the hype that surrounds him.
Tommy Fury vs Jake Paul is available to buy on BT Sport Box Office in the UK.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@Danny_tb_christie / Instagram/@tommyfuryTopics: Tommy Fury, Jake Paul, Boxing, Sport, Celebrity