Tommy Fury vs Jake Paul

Paul, the influencer turned prizefighter, had never faced a full-time boxer until Sunday's bout with Tommy Fury. It did not go well for him.

After defeating several nonboxers in their late 30s and mid-40s, Paul finally faced a younger opponent whose main sport was boxing. But whereas Tyson Fury, 34, has been a heavyweight champion since 2015, Tommy is best known for his role on the reality television show “ Paul landed occasional counter left hooks and lead right hands but never adjusted to Fury’s long, steady left jab. He has called out the retired welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, who pummeled Paul’s brother, Logan, in a 2021 exhibition. Saudi backers put up [$77 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/sports/usyk-joshua-fight-saudi-arabia.html) to bring an August rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk to the Jeddah Superdome. The bout was sold on the premise that it would settle the question of whether Paul, 26, a social media influencer with high-profile wins against a retired basketball player and M.M.A. But Fury, the half brother of Tyson Fury, the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, had better boxing skills. The W.B.C. I had pressure on my shoulders, and I came through.” In October, a similar shot had dropped the retired mixed martial arts star Anderson Silva in his showdown with Paul, who gained fame through YouTube videos before turning to pro boxing. Paul entered Sunday’s contest with a lopsided social media advantage — 22.7 million Instagram followers to Fury’s 4.7 million. But Fury, a 23-year-old pro boxer from England, barely flinched.