When YouTuber and internet sensation Jake Paul ventured into the world of professional boxing in 2018, there was little reason to believe he’d have a successful career. Here was a guy who’d previously been a Disney Channel star, a Vine enthusiast, and a successful YouTuber. But a professional boxer? Surely, we missed something.
In the years following his first fight, Paul miraculously emerged from the weeds of doubt, defied all odds, and earned himself an undefeated record. By 2023, he scored six wins, zero losses, and had an ego big enough to fill a hundred boxing areas.
Still, in all his time in the ring, Paul had yet to go up against a professional boxer like Tommy Fury, who not only hailed from a famous family tree — his half-brother, Tyson Fury, is the current heavyweight boxing champion — but also had an undefeated record. Like Paul, Fury began his professional boxing career in 2018, and while Paul is known for his YouTube background, Fury is known for his time on the fifth series of the British reality dating show Love Island.
On Feb. 26, the two boxers finally took to the ring in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia after a string of postponements. In an interview with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN, Paul promised to knock Fury out in the fourth round, even going so far as to say, “He’s (Fury) never been on this big of a stage before, with this much of a spotlight, and this much pressure. I know he’s going to choke.”
What actually happened was Paul dropped Fury in the eighth round, but then after a split decision from the judges ended up losing the match. Loss or not, Paul was the clear winner in terms of take-home cash. Let’s take a look at how much he supposedly made.
Jake Paul may have lost in the ring, but he won at the bank
As they say, all good things must come to an end. On Feb. 26, in a move one can only describe as a heavy dose of reality, Jake Paul received his first taste of defeat. Losing out to Tommy Fury in a split decision, Paul walked away with a permanent mark on his record, but also a paycheck higher than any he’s seen before. Supposedly.
According to early reports by Sports Zion, Paul was estimated to make a guaranteed $3.2 million from purse bids alone. After factoring in his 65 percent Pay Per View shares, his total earnings were actually projected to be $8.6 million. Still, that pales in comparison to what Paul himself says he made.
The day after his loss, Paul took to his Instagram stories to boost his ego by sharing how much he made from the match, and in the process proved how little he cares about actually winning, so long as he is compensated handsomely for it. According to him, he earned a whopping $30 million.
In the video captioned “When you lost but made $30m,” Paul pretends to cry in the backseat of a car before quickly flipping the switch and smiling at the camera with a thumbs up. He does this a couple of times just to prove the point, but it’s unclear what the point is. Nothing is more important than money? Winning doesn’t actually matter as long as you’re paid well to lose? We’re not sure.
$30 million is a far cry from what Paul was estimated to make ahead of the match. In fact, it contradicts the “all or nothing” bet he made with Fury in the days leading up to the match. Of course, neither signed an official contract so it wasn’t officially binding, but nevertheless, $30 million is a big jump for someone who betted to pay double Fury’s salary should he win.
As of this writing, the salaries for the two boxers haven’t been officially publicized by any sanctioning body. Meaning, that $30 million Paul claims to have received should be taken — like almost everything he says — with a grain of salt.