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Jake Paul is already well aware that Tommy Fury fights very differently than Tyron Woodley.
The former UFC welterweight champion clearly is the more proven opponent, despite that Woodley made his professional boxing debut in losing an eight-round split decision to Paul on August 29 in Cleveland and was then knocked out in the sixth round of their rematch on December 18. in Tampa
What Paul is looking forward to learning is if Fury has at least some of the “dog” in him that Fury’s half-brother, Tyson Fury, has displayed during his ascent to becoming boxing’s best heavyweight.
All Paul has seen thus far is the younger Fury run through overmatched opponents who’ve barely pushed him in any of Fury’s first eight professional fights. That’ll change, Paul promised, when they meet in an eight-round cruiserweight fight that’ll headline a Showtime Pay-Per-View event August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“I think it’s two very different style of fighters,” Paul said. “You know, I think Tyron just has so much experience. You know, he’s been in there with the hardest hitters, the best in the world. And so he’s had that experience, and he knew how to counter and take away some of my best things in the ring. Tommy Fury hasn’t been tested, so we will see how he responds. And I think that’s the beautiful thing about this fight, is the unknown. Is he actually a Fury? Or will we find out that he’s just a half Fury?
“You know, does he have the heart like his brother? Or is he just living in the shadow of his brother? I think the beautiful thing about this fight is stepping into the unknown, because this is also my first time fighting a real boxer, quote, unquote, whatever that means. And he’s undefeated, he’s young, same age, same height, same weight. So, it’s really a perfect matchup and we’re just gonna see who worked harder, who wants it more and who has that dog inside of him.”
Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) defeated Daniel Bocianski by decision in a six-rounder on the Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte undercard 2 months ago at Wembley Stadium in London. The 22-year-old Fury’s subpar performance hasn’t prohibited oddsmakers from establishing the Manchester, England, native as a slight favorite to become the first fighter to beat Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), an actor, influencer and YouTube sensation from Westlake, Ohio.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.