Tommy Fury feels he’s got a lot of options following his victory over Youtuber Jake Paul last weekend in Saudi Arabia. The 23-year-old brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Tommy believes that even if he doesn’t get the lucrative rematch with Jake (6-1, 4 KOs), he’s got a good shot at fighting other Youtubers like KSI.
The question is, should Tommy (9-0, 4 KOs) return to fighting traditional boxers, or does he simply lack the talent to go far in the sport against real fighters?
If Tommy returns to fighting real boxers, he’s not going to make the same kind of money as he will if he’s able to continue fighting Youtubers. The only way Tommy will make good money in boxing is if he fights the dangerous cruiserweight like Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe.
However, what we saw from Tommy last Sunday was a fighter that would be totally overmatched against Okolie, Riakporhe, Badou Jack and even an old Sergey Kovalev.
Tommy could get a couple of paydays fighting those guys, but he’d likely get knocked out, and his career, such as it is, would be over with quickly.
Unlike his brother Tyson Fury, Tommy doesn’t have a huge size and weight advantage over his opposition at cruiserweight to help him succeed. Like his brother, Tommy lacks power, but he’s not going to win by leaning on his opponents the way Tyson does to tire them out.
With the money Tommy makes fighting Youtubers, he can retire after the well runs dry in getting these types of fights rather than taking a drastic payday once he starts fighting real boxers again.
Tommy hasn’t fought a boxing match against a genuine boxer since April last year, and he wasn’t impressive, beating little-known second-tier fighter Daniel Bocianski by a clinch-filled six round points decision.
If Tommy returns to boxing, it’s probable he’ll continue fighting those types of fighters because he can’t make the jump from that level of a fighter to facing guys like Riakporhe without getting wiped out.
It’s very likely that Tommy will end up retiring once he’s exhausted his ability to get Youtuber fights because he’s not going to want to be just an average domestic-level fighter in Britain, and the money won’t be good unless he faces one of the talented cruiserweights.
Tommy Fury making good money fighting Youtubers
“I’d love to see him return to the traditional world of boxing, but the money he’s getting for doing these fights. He’s got to be stupid. It’s called prizefighting,” said Spencer Oliver to iFL TV when asked if Tommy Fury should return to fighting traditional boxers instead of continuing down the Youtuber/influencer road.
“You’re trying to secure your family’s future. He’s getting massive money for it,” Oliver continued about Tommy Fury. “Would I want to see the rematch again? I think the rematch would actually be bigger.
“Look at the amount of people that were watching the fight last night or were listening on the radio. It was insane. All numbers were blown out of the water. So why wouldn’t they do it again? It would be massive interest. Both guys have massive followings. Ultimately, it’s about making money.
“Doing it again and see where it takes you from there. I think Tommy’s future will end up in boxing, and he’ll want to try and follow a dream of becoming a champion.
“At the moment, there’s too much money on the table to refuse not to go back into an immediate rematch with the likes of Jake Paul. It’s a new era of boxing, really. I know a lot of hardcore boxing fans get pissed off talking about Youtubers coming in crossover boxing/WWE and all that, but you can’t deny the events like the KSI like we done a few weeks ago.
“You go there, and it’s a carnival atmosphere. It’s absolutely wicked. It is entertainment. Accept it for that. Yes, boxing is the umbrella. Maybe the quality isn’t as good as some of the professional shows that we see, even the small show halls at York Hall. We accept that, but it is entertainment, and that is the world that we’re living in. You got to move with the times.
“I wasn’t surprised with the ability of him because I didn’t think technically he was that great. He was just looking at that big right hand over the top,” said Oliver when asked if he was impressed by Jake Paul.
