Tommy Fury will step into the ring on Saturday night for his second bout with a YouTube star, this time it’s MFB cruiserweight champion KSI and the title is on the line at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Here, we’ll preview this week’s big fight night in the hopes that we can find you the eventual winner.
Turning point
Many in the world of professional boxing have voiced their concerns over Fury, who so far has a perfect professional record, stepping away to take on influencers for big money. They feel he should instead be working his way up the ranks to gain a professional title fight instead.
That doesn’t look like the career Tommy wants however and a win here would see him be crowned the MFB champion, which would no doubt set up further bouts with other influencers down the line. This feels like a turning point in the 24 year old’s life as these fights offer less physical risk and much higher monetary rewards.
All on the line
That said, as a professional boxer, it’s all on the line here for Fury. He is expected to win, and win well. If he loses, it will be a huge blow to his boxing career and a stain on the record of the boxing profession. This isn’t Tommy’s first time taking on a YouTube star, however. He of course beat Jake Paul by split decision in Saudi Arabia in February.
The nature of that victory has left few convinced that Fury has what it takes to make it to the very top in professional boxing. Although he was relatively comfortable in the fight, there were moments when Jake Paul had him on the back foot and he took some good shots from the American. Ultimately though, he was able to come out with the win.
Knockout on the cards
KSI, real name Olajide Olatunji, comes into this having won his last three bouts via knockout. Admittedly none of these knockouts has come against a professional, but it indicates that Fury’s opponent does hold an element of danger about him. He’s the big underdog and has nothing to lose, so he’ll be trying to land a KO here.
It’s up to Fury to keep his head and not get dragged into a scruffy battle, as he did at times when he faced Jake Paul. If he gets the basics right, he should have far too much class for KSI and can use his superior reach to pick off his opponent with the jab. Then, if the opportunity arises, he can put the competition to bed.
Stolen the spotlight
Fury will be displeased by the manner in which the spotlight has been stolen from this bout, as Logan Paul and Dillon Danis have been trading blows via social media in the run up to their undercard bout. Tommy can’t let that get to his head here though, as there’s still a job to do.
