Jake Paul v Tommy Fury: Jake Paul's WBC ranking explained

Jake Paul will be rewarded with an official WBC ranking if he prevails against Tommy Fury on Sunday night, significantly boosting his opportunities of a world title opportunity.

8/13 shot Jake Paul has much more at stake than just bragging rights against Tommy Fury (13/10) this weekend.

The two rivals will finally square off on Sunday, live on BT Sport Box Office, inside Riyadh’s Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia.

Paul, 26, will land himself an official ranking with the World Boxing Council (WBC) should he defeat Fury in his seventh bout.

The governing body made the announcement in a statement released last week.

“WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman, confirms that if Jake Paul wins his upcoming bout against Tommy Fury, The WBC ratings committee will rank him in the cruiserweight division.

“Jake Paul has been close to The WBC for several years, starting with the first event promoted in the UK when his brother, Logan, fought KSI; On that night Jake won The WBC amateur belt in the undercard fights.

“Jake has dedication and respect to the sport and The WBC will not tolerate discrimination against anyone, he deserves the opportunities that any other boxer has. 

“He demonstrated punching power and improved skills as well as a solid chin, Tommy Fury represents a clear challenge to Paul in a battle of two undefeated professional boxers.

“Jake has enrolled in VADA testing Clean Boxing Program, yet another strong reason to support his stance as a boxer.”

Although Paul would be given a ranking in the 200-pounds division his upcoming fight with Fury, which is 4/5 to go the distance, is a catchweight contest at 185-pounds.

The current WBC Cruiserweight champion is Congo’s Ilunga Makabu, who defends his belt on the undercard against former super-middleweight and light-heavyweight world champion Badou Jack. 
 

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View all of our Paul v Fury fight night build-up

Exactly where Paul would land in the standings would be confirmed when the WBC release their next set of ratings in late March.

There have been suggestions that the Cleveland native could even be bumped into the top 15 should he prevail against Fury this coming Sunday.

That news has been met with plenty of opposition however, and it appears far more likely that he would take a place in the top 40 – a position significantly lower than a spot in the top 15 which would propel him towards a world title opportunity.

Paul, who claims he will become a world champion one day, will be looking to extend his professional record to 7-0, having overcome all six of his previous opponents on the professional stage.

It’s worth noting however that four of those fighters were making their professional boxing debuts against the YouTube sensation, and despite his own claims of being a worthy world title candidate, he has yet to square off against a legitimate boxing opponent.

That will change on Sunday though as the American looks to reign supreme in his long-awaited dust-up with 8-0 fighter, and brother of Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury.

Currently inside the WBC cruiserweight top 40 are the likes of former Chris Billam-Smith opponent Vasil Ducar and Britain’s Jack Massey at numbers 33 and 34, respectively. 

View the latest odds ahead of Jake Paul v Tommy Fury

Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
 

Shaun Brown

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