On Sunday 26th February, fans in the UK and Ireland will be able to tune in to the much-anticipated matchup between Jake ‘The Problem Child’ Paul and Tommy ‘TNT’ Fury, exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office. FITETV will broadcast in Europe, Asia, Canada, Brazil and India. Fans in the U.S. can purchase the fight live on ESPN+ PPV.
The fight, which takes place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, has been two years in the making, with tension building and fiery social media exchanges between the pair.
Having entered the ring professionally in 2020, Paul’s career has been on a meteoric rise, with his record standing at 6-0, with four knockouts. Paul’s most recent bout saw him claim victory over UFC legend Anderson Silva, with Paul dropping the Brazilian in the 8th round at the Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona. Paul stands at the forefront of a new movement within the sport, with many social media and YouTube stars entering the ring to launch their boxing careers.
WHAT TIME IS PAUL VS. FURY?
- Date: Sunday, February 26
- Main card: 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 10 p.m. GMT / 5 p.m. ET
- FITETV will broadcast in Europe, Asia, Canada, Brazil and India. Fans in the U.S. can purchase the fight live on ESPN+ PPV. UK fans meanwhile can watch the fight on BT Sport Box Office.
- The fight will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The main card is set to get underway at 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10 p.m. GMT / 5 p.m. ET.
His opponent, Tommy Fury, comes into this clash with a professional record of 8-0, also with four knockouts. Having fought in 12 amateur fights, winning two regional finals and reaching the 2016 UK national final, Fury enters the ring as the more experienced fighter. His most recent fight saw him knockout Polish light-heavyweight Daniel Bocianski in six rounds last April on the undercard of Tyson Fury v Dillian Whyte.
The card will also feature two-weight world champion Badou Jack ‘The Ripper’ challenging WBC Cruiserweight world champion Illunga Makabu in the co-main event.
At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.
Jake Paul
“We’ve picked this guy apart. We’ve studied him. He makes a lot of mistakes. He’s great on offense. He’s got a great jab. Lots of combos. Speed. Good footwork. Good movement. He’s a good boxer, but he’s not a great boxer. His lack of defense and lack of head movement is going to be exposed on Sunday.”
“I always take every fight seriously. I’ve fought UFC champions. Tyron Woodley was winning the UFC championship when I was on Disney Channel. So, when Tommy says that he’s been doing this his whole life, none of that means anything to me. I’ve always trained harder and tougher than all of my opponents. And I want it more. I have more of a why. I have more of a purpose. I’m Tommy’s end goal. This is the biggest opportunity of his life. He’s never been on a stage like this. He’s never gotten a payday like this. He was getting paid peanuts compared to this.”
“Anderson Silva is one of the greatest strikers ever. So, to go in there and outbox him and put him on the canvas—to me this is a speed bump and a cake walk.”
“I’m so excited for this fight because I can finally silence the critics who have said, ‘Fiight a professional boxer, fight someone your age.’ I agree. I haven’t proven that. But this is why this fight is so big. This is why I’m so excited. This is why I’ve given this guy multiple chances and paid him so much money to finally show up. And it really seemed like the only time he wanted to get into the ring is when I increased the amount of money. So, thankfully he’s here now.”
Tommy Fury
“I’m in boxing and have goals of becoming a world champion. So, if I’m going to do that, I can’t be dodging people like Jake Paul. The first two fights didn’t happen because of it being out of my hands completely. In the first fight, I had a broken rib and the doctors advised me not to fight. In the second fight, I went to the airport with my full team and we were ready to go, and we were denied access to the USA.”
“Third time’s a charm, and we’re here. I’m in super fit condition. I’m ready to go put this all to bed because for the past two and a half years it’s been, ‘When are you fighting Jake Paul?’ To even mention my name in the same sentence is disrespectful to me, a person who’s been boxing my whole life. I’m going to clinically knock this guy out early.”
“You’re getting put to sleep inside four rounds. Let me tell you. I’m not an old man. I’m a fresh, young fighter. I’m going to put you away. You had two very lucky escapes from this fight. You should have taken those escapes. You should not be sitting here right now because this is bad for you. You should have stuck to making easy money fighting old men and celebrities. I’m coming to take your head off.”
Ilunga Makabu
“I just want Badou to keep one thing in mind. I’m going to break your nose. I’m going to break your chin. I’m going to break your ribs. Thank you.”
“I’ve been a world champion for many years. I’m a dangerous boxer. There is no way Badou can take my belt. I’ll go back home with the belt and still be the WBC champion of the world.”
Badou Jack
“I’m here to take his belt, to win. I’m here to become the first Muslim fighter to become a world champion in Saudi. So, I am here to make history. Everybody’s got a plan until they get hit. I’m glad that he is confident.”
“I still feel young. I feel fresh. I want to keep going, and I am here to make history. Some people, they win a title in one weight class. I won in two weight classes. Now, I’m coming for the third. And new!”
Fans will be able to watch all the build-up, the undercard and the main event of Paul v Fury exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office. The event will start at 6.30pm with the main event ring walk at 9:30pm on BT Sport Box Office, costing £19.95 in the UK and can be watched through BT TV, Virgin TV and Sky or online via the web or the BT Sport Box Office App. You do not need to be a BT Sport subscriber to buy this event.
- Sky customers can purchase BT Sport Box Office on channel 490 via their remote control or via www.sky.com/boxoffice/btsport.
- Virgin Media TV customers in the UK: customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV360 set-top-box should visit the Live Events section
- BT TV customers can go to channel 494/495 and pay using their remote control.
- Viewers wanting to watch the fight online should visit www.bt.com/sportboxoffice and follow instructions to subscribe and watch on the web or on the BT Sport Box Office App, customers can choose to watch on the big screen using Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay.
- EE, Three, Vodafone and O2 customers watching online or via the BT Sport Box Office App can choose to add the payment to their mobile bill.
- Customers in the Republic of Ireland can purchase BT Sport Box Office via Sky at www.sky.com/boxoffice/btsport – €29.99 or €34.99 (on the day)
Fury vs Paul Times
For United States viewers in the Eastern Time Zone, the main card starts at 2pm, and the Paul vs. Fury fight begins at 5pm.
For United Kingdom viewers, in Greenwich Mean Time, the main card starts at 7pm, and the Paul vs. Fury fight begins at 10pm.
However, in Saudi Arabia, the main card starts on Sunday at 10pm, meaning the Paul vs. Fury fight begins at 1am on Monday.
PAUL VS. FURY FIGHT CARD
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ESPN+ PPV (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
• Jake Paul 183.6 lbs vs. Tommy Fury 184.5 lbs
(Cruiserweight — 8 Rounds)
• Ilunga Makabu 198.5 lbs vs. Badou Jack 199.8 lbs
(Makabu’s WBC Cruiserweight Title — 12 Rounds)
• Ziyad Almaayouf 145.6 lbs vs. Ronnald Martinez 142.5 lbs
(Welterweight — 4 Rounds)
• Muhsin Cason 199.1 lbs vs. Taryel Jafarov 200.5 lbs
(Cruiserweights — 8 Rounds)
• Bader Samreen 138 lbs vs. Viorel Simion 138.6 lbs
(Junior Welterweight — 8 Rounds)
