Jake Paul v Tommy Fury: Key questions ahead of the YouTuber's clash with Tyson Fury's brother in Saudi Arabia

Here, the experts at Furyjoshua.com have answered some key questions ahead of the bout, which will be screened on BT Sport Box Office at 2200 GMT.

This is billed as a YouTuber vs a boxer, is that a fair summary of what we are going to see on Sunday?

Part of the intrigue around this fight is that nobody is quite sure what we are actually going to see. There is a school of thought that says Tommy Fury will win this fight rather handily. However, the mere fact that Tommy is the brother of the WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury alone does not mean that he is a certainty to win.

When you unpick it, you see that both men, despite coming from very different backgrounds and being polar opposites in terms of personality, are pretty well matched. Neither had any real success as amateurs (Tommy Fury by his own admission had 12 fights while Paul did not officially box for an amateur club) and both might be regarded as ‘decent novices’ at this stage of their respective careers by those who know a bit about the game.

Fury is 8-0 (4) while Paul is 6-0 (4). The quality of opposition for both men to this point has been questionable at best. However, the fact they are fighting each other shows both have cojones. And calculators. Paul is definitely the ‘A-Side’ and reportedly set to bank a $3.2million purse guarantee, and 65% of the PPV sales, while Fury is reportedly on for $2million flat and 35% of the PPV revenue. There is also the small matter of sponsorship and a $1million bonus on offer to the winner. For an eight-rounder, that’s nice work if you can get it!

So far Paul has not faced much in terms of boxing ability. What do you make of him based on the ring evidence so far?

Jake Paul is, without question, a great entertainer. He is improving as a boxer but even the most ardent fan of ‘The Problem Child’ would have to concede in terms of ability you could not label him much more than a novice at this stage. Though a diligent trainer who by all accounts takes the sport very seriously, he had no proper amateur career, and in five fights as a registered professional has yet to fight an actual boxer. Just let that sink in.

Paul made his first foray into the noble art with a win over KSI's younger brother Deji during an amateur fight in 2018. Around two years later, he turned professional and has since earned a reputation as the best influencer currently active in the sport despite fighting four men who were making their boxing debuts in his first four contests. After that, he boxed one of those men again (Tyron Woodley) in a rematch, before squaring off against Anderson da Silva last time out, an athlete best known as a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who once lit up the UFC.

He is getting better. His jab is more solid and he has made clear strides in terms of his technique and ring generalship. The American can punch and possesses extreme confidence. It is not inconceivable Fury – not used to this level of media exposure – could get caught in the headlights and freeze on the big stage. The Englishman has more to lose than the improving American after all and a lot of pressure on his broad shoulders. Jake Paul's trainer BJ Flores believes the YouTuber 'has a higher boxing IQ' than Fury, but then he would say that, wouldn’t’ he?

If it is indeed YouTuber vs boxer, then 5/4 about a Fury win is incredible value. Why is he underdog, what are we missing?

It is truly bizarre that Paul is facing a full-time professional boxer for the first time, who is unbeaten, yet remains a warm odds-on favourite to get the win. The bookies rarely get it wrong, but what is interesting here is the pair were first due to box in December 2021 (Fury withdrew citing illness/injury). Then, in August 2022, Fury withdrew from their rearranged contest (Visa issues preventing his travel to the USA). So there’s been a betting line for this fight for well over a year, and the only logical reason why Paul remains the jolly is that significantly more money has come in for him than it has for Fury.

It’s not unheard of for the bookies to get in wrong of course. James Buster Douglas was famously a 42/1 underdog when he punched himself into boxing folklore by knocking out ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson in the biggest upset in heavyweight history. The gambling ‘sharps’ out there could be all over Fury at 5/4 or bigger this weekend. One price which has moved is Fury to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification. At one point towards the end of last year that was a 6/1 poke, but is now no bigger than 3/1.

If Paul were to win this one, how far do you think he can go in professional boxing? Is this as good as it gets for him?

If Paul gets his hand raised, and wins legitimately with no controversy, the hype machine would obviously go into overdrive. People would have to start taking him more seriously. Would he be a threat to Jai Opetaia (IBF and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Champ) or WBO boss Lawrence Okolie at this stage? Absolutely not. However, a win on Sunday in Saudi would add credibility to his record and legitimise him as a prizefighter as opposed to a media myth.

Fury can fight. Admittedly he has looked ordinary in spells as a professional to this point, but has also scored a couple of highlight-reel KO’s. If Paul wins then fair play to him. Of course, there is another scenario where Fury boxes his head off but Paul somehow gets the nod from the judges, purely because he is the A-Side. That would do nothing for his credibility, but would of course leave the door ajar for a lucrative rematch.

WBC chief Jose Sulaiman says Paul WILL be ranked in the top 40 by his governing body at cruiserweight if he beats Fury. Does that say more about the WBC, or the cruiserweight division?

There are few coincidences in boxing. Ilunga Makabu is also on this bill. Makabu has held the WBC cruiserweight title since 2020, and while Paul was laughed at for claiming he will box for and win a world title, the prospect of him fighting for one suddenly does not now seem so unrealistic.

However, the very fact he is set to go into the WBC’s ranking should he beat Fury says plenty about that particular organisation. Paul has found a sport where cash is king, and for this reason alone you would be crazy to bet against him eventually fighting for a WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO world title.

Whether he is good enough to ever win a ‘world’ belt is another matter entirely. You can be sure the likes of Commonwealth and European champion Chris Billam-Smith will be monitoring the situation with interest. The Bournemouth man is 17-1 (12), has only fought actual boxers since turning pro in 2017, and is much more deserving of a title shot than someone like Paul.

If the American gets the win on Sunday and gains a WBC ranking anywhere near say their top 15, then it really does dilute the worth of that organisation. Fury would be his best win by a million miles and his next best would be against a washed-up MMA legend in da Silva.

The bout will air on BT Sport Box Office as a pay-per-view encounter. Jake has done big numbers on Showtime in the United States, but how do you think the British public reacts to this one? Will they buy it?

The price has been set in the UK by BT Sport Box Office at £19.95, which is rather ambitious when you consider that half the UK are seemingly on strike over pay and the other half are worrying about their gas and electricity bills. However, do not sleep on this show actually doing huge numbers. With well over 20 million subscribers, Paul is one of the most infamous YouTubers of his generation. Controversy sells, and looking at his career to date he has leveraged one controversy after another to stay in the public eye. And Sunday’s circus is just the type of stage where he could shine.

What actually makes a card pay-per-view worthy? It is a good question but still subjective. There was once a consensus that a PPV boxing event needed a top-class headline world title fight, and a stacked undercard with plenty of 50-50 match ups. Don King was the master of PPV in the 1990s, putting on cards with multiple world title fights which lasted for hours and hours.

The truth is it is a relative free-for-all these days. Boxing has always been the Wild West of sports, and when you get men as popular as Paul and Fury, with their social media reach, willing to throw down against each other, the potential financial gains are huge.

I suppose when Mike Tyson – the man responsible for four of the top 10 highest grossing PPV boxing events ever – says boxing should be grateful that YouTubers came along, then maybe we should listen.

Do you think ‘real boxing fans’ will swerve this, or do you think at the last moment they’ll be tempted and buy the fight just because of FOMO (fear of missing out)?

There is a real chance that proper boxing fans who don’t want to be labelled as ‘casuals’ will swerve this, given that this fight does not tick that many boxes as a truly can’t-miss PPV attraction. However just as many ‘real’ fans who thought Paul was only in boxing to make a quick buck and get out, will be intrigued enough to buy given that the American is stepping out of his comfort zone and actually boxing a live opponent. The FOMO factor could be a big pull on Sunday, given the Premier League football will have finished and there is no NFL for sports fanatics to watch either.

Also, when you have two blokes of relatively equal calibre, both confident and wanting a fight, there’s every chance it could be a good scrap. This may not be the best technical contest, as neither man will ever be mistaken for Vasily Lomachenko, but it should be much more competitive than say Tyson Fury v Dereck Chisora was (another headliner on PPV in 2022).

It’s a stretch but you cannot totally rule out this fight having the crossover interest of say Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor, another quirky boxing event from a few years ago which did insane numbers. People who never usually talk about boxing are talking about this fight. And though die-hard pugilistic purists could swerve it, Joe Public might just lap it up.

While this is obviously a great financial opportunity for Tommy Fury, and in theory a straightforward assignment, it doesn’t come without risk. What does his future look like if he loses this fight?

All the pressure is on Fury here. The bombastic quotes of his father or brother in the build-up have probably not helped, and there is so much jeopardy for Fury in this fight as many do not feel that Paul is a legit boxer. So should he lose to ‘The Problem Child’ where exactly is his own career going?

Financially both men will do very well on Sunday. However, the loser won’t be taken seriously as a prizefighter and may have to retreat back into the world of celebrity. In that sense, the stakes could not be higher.

Does Tommy have extra pressure going in given the fame of his brother and indeed father?

Tommy's older brother Tyson is the main man at heavyweight right now of course, and has alluded that his younger sibling should stay in Saudi Arabia if he cannot beat Paul. Whether tongue in cheek or not, that type of talk just isn’t really helpful and heaps more pressure onto young Tommy's shoulders.

Paul believes his opponent’s career is being ruined by his father and trainer – Gypsy John – ahead of their Saudi showdown, telling anyone who will listen that the Briton hasn't improved since they were first due to lock horns in 2021. John Fury is absolute box-office, and could yet steal the show himself this weekend.

However, Fury Snr needs to keep focused on the job in hand. A chaotic corner will not do his son any favours. For all his hyperbole, Gypsy John knows boxing and if he does not let emotion cloud his own actions he can help steer ‘Team Fury’ to another big win.

Paul v Fury: Big fight details

• Venue: Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
• Date and time: Sunday, February 26, 10pm GMT
• TV Channel: BT Sport Box Office, £19.95
• Sky Bet odds: Paul 8/11, Fury 5/4

Paul v Fury: Running order and under card

• MAIN EVENT: Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury
• Ilunga Makabu vs Badou Jack (WBC cruiserweight title)
• Bader Samreen vs Viorel Simion
• Muhsin Cason vs Taryel Jafarov
• Ziyad Almaayouf vs Janos Penzes
• Adam Saleh vs Stuart Kellogg

Boxing: Related content

• Ranking the heavyweights
• Fury's greatest performances
• Big fight TV schedule
• British boxing classics