Luke Rockhold makes surprising Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury prediction
Luke Rockhold has given his take on the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight.
The Paul vs. Fury bout has been finalized twice previously, in December 2021 and later in August 2022. However, Fury withdrew both times, due to injury issues in 2021 and visa problems in 2022. Their eight-round cruiserweight bout will now transpire at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on February 26th, 2023.
In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold was asked about his prediction for the Paul-Fury showdown. The former UFC star responded by picking Jake Paul to win:
“I like Jake. I think Tommy’s not a boxer.”
The interviewer suggested that Luke Rockhold views reality TV star/boxer Tommy Fury merely as a “pretty boy" and opined that Rockhold too is a “pretty boy” who can fight. Rockhold seemingly agreed and explained:
“You gotta have a dog in you. He ain’t got no dog in him. I’ve watched him [Fury] fight. He doesn’t even finish his punches. You know, he has no commitment to finishing it. He’s a show. He’s a show fighter. And I got Jake [in that fight]. And I don’t even think Jake has that much, like, he has commitment, at least. He doesn’t have patience. He doesn’t have that f**king mentality when he gets in the game, I think he’s blinded. He’s got that deer in the headlights [look], but at least he throws.”
Catch Luke Rockhold's comments below (2:52):
Eddie Hearn sees Jake Paul having an edge over Tommy Fury well before their fight even begins
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Matchroom Boxing head honcho Eddie Hearn claimed that American pugilist Jake Paul could potentially have the upper hand against the UK’s Tommy Fury heading into their fight.
The UK boxing promoter insinuated that 'TNT', who hails from the famed Fury boxing clan, might be under significant pressure heading into the Paul matchup. Hearn indicated that he himself would be embarrassed to lose to a YouTuber-turned-boxer like Jake Paul.
Moreover, he pointed out that Tommy Fury would surely be embarrassed and would likely have his career ended if he were to lose to ‘The Problem Child':
“Tommy Fury is unbelievably limited, right? But he is a fighter. He is a boxer. So, all the criticism about Jake is, ‘You’ve never fought a boxer.’ He’s about to – not a very good one, but still a boxer. For Tommy Fury, it’s just a bit embarrassing.”
Catch Eddie Hearn’s assessment below: