Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum didn`t hold back, delivering a harsh critique of both Jake Paul and Tommy Fury.
Arum wasn`t impressed by Paul`s recent decision victory over Mike Tyson, who controversially came out of retirement at 58 years old.
Despite attracting over 100 million viewers on Netflix for the Tyson bout, Paul is scheduled to fight former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28.
Chavez Jr., the son of boxing icon Julio Cesar Sr., has reportedly faced personal struggles involving substance abuse and a lack of dedication.
In an interview with FightHype, Arum commented on the upcoming fight:
“That`s not even boxing. Chavez Jr., I thought he had hung up the gloves a long time ago. Jake Paul is not a boxer. It’s spectacle. The Tyson event was sort of demeaning for the sport of boxing. Tyson was an old man.
What are we talking about? But again, if Netflix or somebody else wants to pay for that event, that’s fine. I have no interest in it. I have absolutely no interest in a Jake Paul-Chavez Jr fight, because it’s not boxing.”
Paul`s sole defeat in his 12 professional fights came in 2023, losing to Tommy Fury by split decision in Saudi Arabia.
Even though ESPN, a broadcast partner of Arum`s Top Rank, aired the Paul-Fury clash on pay-per-view in the United States, Arum did not shy away from criticising either fighter.
He continued his assessment of Paul:
“Jake Paul is not fighting a real fighter. He’s smarter than you and me combined. It’s not a scam because people know what they’re getting, but he’s not interested in fighting somebody that can really give him a whooping.”
Arum also offered a harsh opinion on Tommy Fury:
“I mean, I remember when Jake Paul, before he caught onto this stuff, and I was in England and he was fighting Tyson Fury's half-brother Tommy Fury, who can`t fight. Tommy Fury won every round, won a decision and there`s very few heavyweights that you can name that Tommy Fury would last more than one or two rounds.”
Oliver Croft