Jake Paul thinks the judges got it wrong in his split decision loss to Tommy Fury.
Paul (6-1) suffered his first boxing loss Sunday in Saudi Arabia when he came out on the wrong end of 74-75, 76-73 and 76-73 scorecards against his rival Fury (9-0). It was a competitive fight, but heavy referee involvement and point deductions for both men interrupted the flow.
Although much of the fight didn’t seem to be going his way, Paul almost pulled off a stunning comeback when he knocked Fury down in Round 8 heading into the decision. Two of three judges went against him, and even though he accepted the result, Paul’s immediate reaction was that it wasn’t accurate.
“All respect to Tommy – he won,” Paul said in the ring during his post-fight interview. “And don’t judge me by my wins. Judge me by my losses. I’ll come back. I think we deserve that rematch. It was a great fight, a close fight. I don’t know if I agree with the judges. I got a 10-8 round – twice. So, it is what it is. … This is definitely a humbling experience. I’ll take it on the chin. Get back in the gym and we can run it back.”
Paul attempted to avoid making excuses in the aftermath of his loss, but said it wasn’t an ideal training camp. He said his preparation was hindered, but he’s motivated to rebound with the power to execute a rematch clause in his favor.
“Honestly, I felt flat,” Paul said. “I got sick really bad twice in this camp, injured my arm. So, it wasn’t my best performance. But I lost. I’m not making excuses. I’m just saying, it was not my best performance. I felt a little flat. We’re going to come back and get that ‘W.’ Don’t judge me by my wins. Judge me by my losses. I’m going to come back stronger.
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