Stay up to date with what’s happening today (February 26th) with the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury boxing card, which is going down from the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The third time’s the charm! After two failed attempts to put this fight together, Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will finally meet today in the ring. This main event matchup isn’t the cream of the boxing crop, but it is two undefeated aspiring boxers that are around the same stage in their careers — seeing which one will advance in the sport, and which one will be resigned to the moniker of ‘celebrity boxer.’ That alone could make for a highly competitive scrap, and that’s really all we can hope for.
Before that, we’ve got a legitimate title fight in the co-main event when the 29-2 Ilunga Makabu puts his WBC cruiserweight belt on the line against the 27-3 Badou Jack. This is a far cry from the typical YouTuber vs. Influencer matchup that we typically see on a Jake Paul undercard, which feels like a step in the right direction for Jake’s Most Valuable Promotions venture.
The Paul vs. Fury PPV card is scheduled to begin at 2:00pm ET, and can be streamed on ESPN+ and FITE.tv.
Main Card (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV and FITE.tv)
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury
Badou Jack def. Ilunga Makabu by TKO at :54 of round 12: WBC cruiserweight title
We saw a lot of body work from both fighters early in the opening round. A lot of straights were being exchanged back and forth at a steady, but not frenzied pace. Jack started to open up with his power punches in the second act. He was catching Makabu with stinging hooks while he standing flat footed, and was simply being the busier fighter. Makabu did have a big burst of offense at the end of the round.
Makabu went after the midsection of Jack to open the third round, throwing several blows in a row to the body. The output of Makabu picked up as well, and started to connect with some strong flurries. Jack was sitting back looking to counter, but allowing Makabu to go first wasn’t working out for him.
The body continued to be there for Makabu in the fourth frame. Jack would eat some shots, but then come right back with some pressure of his own. Then a nasty right hook sent Makabu crashing to the canvas! Makabu made the count, and went back to swinging, but the statement was made by Jack.
The right hand of Jack kept finding a home in the fifth round. Makabu was still moving forward behind volume, but he was eating some better counters as a result. The sixth round began with Makabu pumping out his jabs and straights, but nothing he was landing seemed to really bother Jack. This was probably his best round thus far, but that might be because Jack kind of took this round off.
Jack got back to work in the seventh round. He was attacking the body with powerful crosses, which opened up the head a bit. Credit to Makabu for constantly moving forward, but Jack was scoring the better punches. The eighth round opened up with Makabu getting through with a variety of volume. Jack came right back with harder strikes, reestablishing himself as the harder puncher. Makabu did rally back, trying to overwhelm Jack with offense but failing to hurt his challenger.
Makabu came alive in the ninth round. He wasn’t really doing anything different, but his volume seemed like it was starting to accumulate. The defense of Jack wasn’t as sharp as it was in the previous round, but he was still packing heat. Jack took control again in the tenth, putting Makabu on the ropes and delivering some crisp crosses. Makabu weathered the storm and went back to his same low-power volume. The last 30-seconds of the round saw Jack land some huge punches to offset what Makabu had done.
Jack came out in the eleventh and scored a big knockdown. Makabu made the count again, but Jack was teeing off. The heart of Makabu was on display, but that means he was getting duffed. The final round saw Jack uncork another overhand haymaker that sent Makabu stumbling. Jack went in for the kill with fists of fury, throwing punch after punch, until the referee stepped in to rescue Makabu. And new!
Ziyad Alaamayouf def. Ronald Martinez by unanimous decision (38-37 x3)
Muhsin Cason def. Taryel Jarafov by TKO at 3:00 of round 1
Bader Samreen def. Viorel Simion by TKO at 1:26 of round 1
Prelim card
Adam Saleh vs. Stuart Kellogg
Salman Hamada vs. Philip Samson
Ragad Al Naimi vs. Perpetual Okaijah
Ziad Al-Majrashi vs. Philip Quansah
About the author: Eddie Mercado has covered combat sports since 2015. He covers everything from betting odds to live events and fighter interviews. He holds a 1-0 record in pro MMA and holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu. (full bio)