Jake Paul Vs Tommy Fury - Good or bad for boxing?

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The fight of the century is finally upon us (Only joking). Jake Paul & Tommy Fury will finally lock horns this weekend in a fight that has many people wondering can a YouTuber really beat a professional boxer? There are question marks around whether Tommy Fury is a legitimate boxer. Lets not dwell on that, the main reason I wanted speak about this topic is because I think the whole concept of crossover boxing is interesting & poses the question, is it good or bad for boxing?

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The megatrend that is crossover boxing came from the Floyd Mayweather Jr Vs Connor McGregor fight back in 2017. This was a huge event that captured the imagination of not only fight fans but the general public. There was nothing bigger at the time, we had the opportunity to see the biggest star in MMA fight the biggest star in boxing. Now, any true boxing fan knew that Floyd Mayweather Jr would be able to play with Connor as much as he wanted. There are so many fundamental differences between striking in MMA & striking in boxing. 

However, I think people really missed the major point of this fight though, the actual fight itself didn't really matter. It was a full gone conclusion. It was the entertainment factor in the press conferences & the build-up that really had peoples juices flowing. The fight was still entertaining & Floyd of course came out the inevitable victor. 

This fight paved the way for what we know today as YouTube boxing & crossover boxing. Floyd & Connor made unfathomable amounts of money, they laughed all the way to the bank together. This had other celebrities wondering, could we really do the same?

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Crossover Boxing

Crossover boxing was next on the list, KSI fought Joe Weller & then followed on with fighting Logan Paul. I was not a fan of this when it first came around due to the fact that it was trash. They were awful, it was just a glorified version of white collar boxing (In my humble opinion). This is ironic because I actually love white collar boxing, but usually you have a personal connection with a fighter or fighters on the show. 

I rumbled with so many people over this topic, talking about how it has no place & that there was no chance it was sustainable. Then Jake Paul came along, blowing people out the water. People really started taking notice when he KO'd Ben Askren. Ben Askren is a notable wrestler, a very good one! But anyone with a striking background would tell you that he should never have put on a pair of boxing gloves. 

This had me a little annoyed because now people were really jumping on the bandwagon, "Jake Paul just beat an MMA fighter". They were correct he did, but in their eyes they saw MMA & boxer as one in the same, trust me they're not! Paul then had fights with, Tyron Woodley & Anderson Silva. Both were legends in MMA & were actually good strikers. Tyron was explosive & had dynamite in his hands! Anderson Silva was one of the best strikers ever in MMA, he was silky smooth, could hit you from all angles & had KO power too. Anderson had even beat a previous world champion boxer in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

Make no mistake, at least Paul had now fought some credible strikers, but he was still missing one key ingredient. He still hadn't fought a professional boxer! Now, the Tommy Fury fight was meant to happen, but got postponed due to Tommy pulling out of the fight. But at least, he was about to fight an actual professional boxer (kind of).

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Jake Paul Vs Tommy Fury

Present day here we are, finally Paul Vs Fury it's going to happen this weekend what do I think will happen? Personally I think If Jake comes out the victor he deserves credit for fighting someone who comes from a tremendous boxing family. Remember Tommy's brother is none other than Tyson Fury one of the best heavyweights to grace our generation. Not only this, but the way in which a boxer who has only ever boxed moves, his mechanics & striking fundamentals are so much different to that of an MMA fighter. His stance will be different, head movement, even the way he sits down & throws his shots. All of this should be something Tommy hasn't really faced. The other HUGE elephant in the room is that he's fighting someone who is young & in the shape of his life not a retired fighter.

That being said, does this mean Tommy Fury will win? Not necessarily, even though I have sung his praises in the fact that he is a conventional boxer. I didn't say he was a good one. So I could still see the unspeakable happen here & he see a Fury lose to a YouTuber, wouldn't that be funny! If I was a betting man, which we all know I am, I would still stick with a Fury win, but I personally won't be putting any money on this fight at all (mark my words).

So I've rambled on & still the unanswered question, is this good or bad for boxing? My verdict... I think its great that there are lots of new eyes coming over to the sport that wouldn't have even bothered previously. We have a younger generation becoming interested & wanting to partake in this great sport. Realistically though, I think crossover boxing should be its own sport, I don't think the 2 need to blend, it would be crazy to see Jake Paul take on a prime Canelo or a prime Anthony Yarde. Let's be real, he would be eaten alive by any top middleweight or light heavyweight boxer (professional or amateur). 

From an entertainment stand point I think crossover boxing is here to stay & as long as people are willing to watch it then why should it go anywhere? However, I want to continue seeing big BOXING fights made separately. We want fights like Spence Vs Crawford, Bivol Vs Beterbiev & Fury Vs Usyk. Lets make these fights happen whilst Jake Paul, KSI & even Logan enjoy themselves on the other side doing their own thing.

This is just my personal opinion on a very intriguing topic, I look forward to seeing how all of this plays out in the coming years. Let's hope for more great fights, fighters getting paid & fans being entertained!

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