The organizing team behind the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight event has recently released the full main card lineup. Most Valuable Promotions made the announcement on Thursday, revealing the four fights that will precede the much-anticipated main event. The co-main event will feature a WBC cruiserweight title fight between Ilunga Makabu and Badou Jack.
The event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and will be available for streaming on ESPN+ pay-per-view. As of yet, no details have been released regarding a preliminary card. The complete lineup for the Paul vs. Fury fight card is available below.
Main event (cruiserweight): Jake Paul (6-0) vs. Tommy Fury (8-0)
On Thursday, the official roster for the Paul vs. Fury event was disclosed, which is scheduled to occur on Feb. 26 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
The main card is anticipated to have five fights, with the co-main event featuring Ilunga Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs), the current WBC cruiserweight champion, defending his title for the third time against former WBC and WBA champion Badou Jack (27-3-3, 16 KOs).
Co-main event (WBC cruiserweight title): Ilunga Makabu (29-2) vs. Badou Jack (27-3-3)
On Saturday, Badou Jack will challenge Ilunga Makubu for the WBC cruiserweight belt, which Makubu aims to defend. Makubu, a Congolese fighter who was previously rumored to face Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, is now set to take on Jack.
In his most recent fight, Makubu won by split decision against Thabiso Mchunu in January of last year. Jack also won by split decision in his last fight against Richard Rivera in August 2022.
Welterweight: Ziyad Almaayouf (12-5) vs. Ronald Martinez (10-0)
Ziyad Almaayouf, also known as Zizo, is a 22-year-old orthodox-style boxer standing at 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm). He has won all of his previous fights, including a knockout in the first round of his sole undercard match. Almaayouf previously fought in the Super lightweight class and will continue to do so in his upcoming bout.
In contrast, 19-year-old Ronnald Martinez, whose birth name is Ronnald Adrian Martinez Lara, has competed in five fights, winning three and losing one. Martinez holds no knockout record and is currently ranked third among all Ecuadorian boxers by BoxRec.
Although Martinez has fought in several weight divisions, his upcoming match against ‘Zizo’ will be his first in the Super lightweight category.
Cruiserweight: Muhsin Cason (10-0) vs. Taryel Jafarov (12-5)
The highly anticipated pay-per-view event of 2023 featuring Jake Paul and Tommy Fury is confirmed to take place on the upcoming weekend. The complete fight card has been revealed and it includes a main-card bout between Muhsin Cason, an undefeated American boxer, and Taryel Jafarov, a professional boxer from Azerbaijan.
Cason is determined to secure a victory and is expected to give a tough fight to Jafarov, whose purse share for the fight is reported to be up to $30,000. However, Jafarov’s earnings may exceed this amount if he receives any win bonuses.
The fight between Cason and Jafarov will be part of the Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury pay-per-view event known as “The Truth”.
Super lightweight: Balder Samreen (7-0) vs. Viorel Simion (22-9)
“The Truth” is the name of the pay-per-view event featuring Jake Paul and Tommy Fury, which will be broadcasted by BT Sports in the UK and ESPN+ in the US. The event was originally scheduled for 2021, but was postponed due to an injury sustained by Tommy Fury.
It will now take place on February 26, 2023, at Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia. Jordanian boxer Bader Samreen will also be participating in the event, facing Romanian opponent Viorel Simion. Details regarding their purse payouts, win bonuses, and pay-per-view earnings have been released.
Samreen is currently undefeated since his debut in 2021 and is guaranteed a purse of up to $50k for the fight, while Simion has experienced a series of defeats in his last seven fights, making this upcoming match an opportunity for him to bounce back.