Jake Paul has been guaranteed a world ranking if he beats Tommy Fury next weekend - but boxing promoter Eddie Hearn doesn't think he deserves it.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 26, is scheduled to fight Fury in Saudi Arabia on February 26 after two previous meetings between the rivals fell through. Love Island star Fury first pulled out of a fight against the American in December 2021 because of a chest infection and broken rib before also pulling out of their rescheduled meeting last August.
Both men are hoping it will be third time lucky at the Diriyah Arena and the stakes are even higher for Paul as he's been offered a world ranking by the WBC if he can beat Fury. The organisation praised Paul's dedication to the sport and said he "deserves the opportunities" that any other boxer has, regardless of their pathway into the sport.
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Hearn feels the organisation's guarantee is unwarranted, as he told Seconds Out: “Commercially I get it, I don’t think either fighter deserves that spot but it’s boxing. It’s a good fight and certainly the winner will be undefeated and there are other fighters in the top 15 of that governing body that don’t deserve to be there either."
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman also confirmed that Paul would have received a world ranking if he beat Hasim Rahman Jr in their ill-fated fight last August. 'The Problem Child' has since picked up his sixth professional win against 47-year-old Anderson Silva as he won on points against the UFC legend last October.
Fury is unbeaten in eight professional fights but his record has remained the same for almost a year, taking part in an exhibition fight last November after his professional bout against Paul Bamba was cancelled on short notice. Hearn doubled down on his comments by admitting that a win for Paul over Fury would "make a statement", but not one that should earn him a spot in the WBC rankings.
"Sometimes governing bodies have to live in that commercial world as well. Tommy Fury’s a proper fighter and Jake Paul would make a statement if he won that fight. Not a statement that he can challenge for a world title, but, ultimately, there’s a little bit of publicity in there. Is it right? Not really, because there’s fighters that deserve to be in the top 15 much more than Jake Paul, but it’s the world we live in," Hearn told iFL TV.
