By: Sean Crose
“It couldn’t get any better for Tommy for sure,” WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury told Seconds Out on the eve of his brother Tommy’s high profile fight with Jake Paul Saturday in Saudi Arabia. “It’s fantastic out here,” the fighter known as “The Gypsy King” said of the Middle Eastern nation. “It’s a major event. It’s like being in Las Vegas for a major fight.” A lot of attention has been cast on this weekend’s pay per view main event, even though Tommy Fury and Jake Paul have thin resumes. Paul, after all, is a major attraction thanks to his social media and pop culture presence. He’s also – perhaps surprisingly, expected to win on Saturday.
“Tommy’s got to do what he’s got to do,” Fury said of his brother. “If he loses to Jake Paul, then he’s finished with the boxing – but he’s been paid well enough.” Yet Fury didn’t seem to believe that his brother would actually lose against Paul. “I can’t see (it),” Fury said. “I don’t think if Jake Paul had a hammer in each hand he can beat Tommy anyway.” The top dog on the heavyweight heap then went on to add that his brother appeared completely at ease in the lead up to the match with Paul.
“He seems relaxed, calm as a cucumber,” he said of Tommy. “We’ve all got lump on him and I’ll sure we’ll be collecting on Monday.” Not that he bears any ill will for Paul. “I think Jake Paul and his brother have done really well out of it,” he told Talk Sport. “Anyone who said these guys are not good for what they do, then obviously they’re jealous, aren’t they?” Like the Paul brothers, Fury is a world class showman, so a sense of mutual admiration might be in play between the two camps.
As for his own high profile ring career, Fury is expected to face off against IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk in a superfight that will determine who the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is. That fight, however, has yet to be signed, which is leading some fans to become nervous. Fury’s proposed fight with fellow Brit heavyweight Anthony Joshua last fall fell through, after all. On top of that, major fights are either falling through or getting tied up in red tape as of late. Let’s hope Fury-Usyk gets signed – and sooner rather than later.