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Jake Paul was the Vegas favorite against Tommy Fury in February, but the result did not match the odds.
Fury won by decision in a fight that was two years in the making.
The bout was originally scheduled for December 2021, but it was postponed twice.
Fury was nursing an injury before one scheduled date, and he apparently had visa issues for the second.
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Jake Paul, left, looks on as Tommy Fury taunts him during a cruiserweight title fight at the Diriyah Arena Feb. 26, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
It's now been just under four weeks since Paul lost his first bout and Fury remained undefeated. Since then, Paul has been "learning a lot" on "the mistakes I made in camp."
Paul said he was trying to push his body to limits he couldn't reach, and "the universe just wasn't on my side."
"I mentally was ready for the fight, but my body wasn’t able to keep up with the demands because I didn’t have a perfect training camp. It was probably my worst training camp ever, actually," Paul said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
"In the ring, when the going got tough, my body just couldn’t keep up with what I wanted it to do. During the camp, I was sick twice. So, it really shortened the camp by like three extra weeks, plus all the travel overseas and stuff. Just learning a lot to not push myself too hard and to probably sometimes take a step back versus always trying to keep moving forward."
There was another unplanned mishap. In the boxing world, fighters tend to refrain from ejaculation to build up testosterone for the weeks leading up to when they go in the ring.
Boxer Jake Paul reacts during the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury press conference Feb. 23, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
JAKE PAUL SAYS HE CAN BE FACE OF BOXING: 'I CAN CLAIM THAT SPOT FOR SURE'
Paul says he had wet dream in his final sleep before the fight.
"It’s a really funny topic," he admitted. "But it is serious, man. I think non-boxing fans look at it like a joke, and they think it’s funny, which it is, but it also definitely f---s you up. I think that that’s like a 10% difference maker, to be honest. And with all other things considered, it all just added up to just not be my best performance."
Paul lost the fight, and it sounds like he believes the result would have been much different without the "fate of God." But he still came away with a highlight.
Jake Paul and Tommy Fury, right, clash during a press conference Feb. 23, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
In the eighth round, Paul hit Fury with a hard left hook that put him on the canvas. It wasn't enough to convince the judges, who gave Fury the win in a split decision. But Paul at least has some bragging rights.
"I put the professional boxer on the canvas. Tommy knows he’s my son. He kneeled down to me. If this was a street fight, he would be on the ground getting stomped out, and he wouldn’t be alive. So who really won? It’s cool this is a sport, but man to man, he touched the canvas, and there’s pictures of him on the ground and me standing over him. So, as a man, he’s really my son."
Boxer Jake Paul is pictured during a weigh-in Feb. 25, 2023. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)
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Paul takes solace he "still put up a good fight against someone who’s been doing it since they were six years old," and he knows he will see Fury again.
It's just a matter of when.
In the meantime, Paul's got business to take care of, including a partnership with the energy drink brand Celsius,
"We’ll see. I know we’ll fight again at some point. We’ll see what ends up happening. There’s a lot of options on the table for me. We’ll see what ends up happening. I’m drinking my Celsius and gonna get back in the gym here soon."