Canadian rapper Drake has come under fire after losing a bet that could have netted him over $1 million. The rapper backed Jake Paul to defeat Tyson Fury in their boxing match on Sunday night, but the social media star lost by a split decision.
This is not the first time Drake has been blamed for a sporting loss, as he’s known for betting on sports individuals and teams. This particular bet was placed on the crypto platform Stake, and if Paul had won, Drake would have cashed in over $1 million.
The rapper’s bet
Jake Paul suffered his first boxing loss on Sunday as Tommy Fury – Tyson Fury’s half-brother – edged him out in a split decision. Two judges scored the fight 76-73 for Fury, while the third had it 75-74 in favor of Paul.
The 23-year-old British fighter took on the YouTuber in a fight that was part of the ESPN+ pay-per-view event, and it went down to the wire. In round one, Paul started catching Fury with jabs and clinching. It appeared that Paul was trying to take Fury down, but the Brit escaped from the clinch and looked strong for much of the first round.
In the second round, Fury landed some big shots. He also threw more punches than Paul, with 302 compared to 157 for Paul.
However, Paul ducked some of these shots and looked sluggish as he struggled to land combinations. The referee also warned him for clinching again, which allowed Fury to get some good catches and jabs.
The fourth round saw more action, and both fighters landed big blows. Fury landed a chopping right hand that slowed down Paul, but he also landed some good hooks to the face.
Fury also threw more punches in the fifth round and got a point deduction for striking behind the head. He looked fatigued, and a cut above his left eye opened up after the fight.
As the fight progressed, Paul used the clinch more effectively, which he used to his advantage in the sixth and seventh rounds. It seemed like Paul had lost the fight, but he kept coming forward and used his reach to keep Fury at bay.
Despite this, Fury landed his biggest shot of the fight in round eight. A combination that left Paul hanging on the ropes and hitting the canvas, which the referee ruled was a slip.
After the fight, Fury said he was proud to win and that it meant a lot to him. He added that he was stepping out of his brother’s shadow and that the fight was essential to his career.
The fight
Jake Paul, the Instagram and Vine star who became a social media influencer, is now an MMA fighter. He fought and defeated a fellow YouTuber, an NBA player, and three over-the-hill MMA fighters in the ring before facing his first “real” boxer on Sunday.
The fight was held in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, featuring an eight-round battle. It was about pay-per-view status and a place in the WBC cruiserweight division rankings.
Fury, the younger half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, threw more punches and landed more significant strikes than Paul during the fight, a split-decision victory on two judges’ scorecards. One judge had it 76-73 for Fury, while the other had it 75-74 for Paul.
Both men started the fight on a positive note, with Paul seemingly finding his range in rounds two and three and Fury putting his jab in Paul’s face and popping him in the face with combinations throughout the early stages of the fight. Then, in round four, Fury pushed Paul back and took control with his long reach, catching him with combinations on several occasions.
In round five, the referee penalized Paul a point for allegedly pushing down on Fury’s head in a clinch. In round six, the ref also deducted a point from Fury for clinching, which hurt the final scorecards.
A flurry of blows from both fighters in the late rounds of the fight led to a knockdown for Paul, but he bounced back and put together a solid final round before the referee ended the match. He scored a 76-73 victory on the judges’ scorecards and won his first boxing about.
A rematch between Paul and Fury has been planned for December 2021 but was postponed due to Fury’s rib injury. A scheduled clash in August was delayed again when Fury was denied entry to the United States.
The rapper’s curse
There are several sports stars who have suffered from the Drake curse. This has included tennis star Serena Williams, the Golden State Warriors, and even the Toronto Raptors. The rapper has also acted as an evil luck charm for other sportsmen, such as Conor McGregor and Tyson Fury.
This has mainly been caused by Drake’s habit of betting on the losing team. He has been known to place bets on teams out of sight in their respective leagues, such as the Philadelphia 76ers and FC Barcelona.
As a result, it is no surprise that the rapper has lost millions of dollars in betting on these teams. He was also spotted wearing Philadelphia 76ers shorts after they lost to the Toronto Raptors in a game in October 2021.
The rapper is no stranger to boxing and has a lot of passion for the sport. He has a 30-person training team who help him improve his skills and aims to become a world champion one day.
However, his success has been hampered by shaky performances in the boxing ring. He has fought many overmatched opponents and has a combined record of 24-176-5.
During the fight, Paul was deducted points for hitting Fury behind his head and for too much clinching, which is usually only allowed for a few rounds of boxing. This tipped the scales in favor of Fury, who landed more powerful punches and took advantage of Paul’s mistakes.
Another big factor in the match was Paul’s lack of boxing experience, which left him vulnerable to being caught by Fury’s speed and ability to catch him off guard. Throughout the fight, Paul tried to get inside the ring and use his power, but it was too little and too late.
In the second and third rounds, Fury adjusted his strategy by spending more time outside the ring, where he could land jabs and right hands. The changes in strategy worked well, as Fury could take advantage of Paul’s lack of experience and keep him at bay for the rest of the fight.
The rematch
The rematch between Jake Paul and Tyson Fury will see both fighters in a boxing match that they hope will end their rivalry. Both fighters have a solid following on social media, and their boxing matches are watched by fans worldwide.
A fight between Jake Paul and Tyson Fury is expected to occur in Saudi Arabia later this year. Both fighters have fought well in recent years and hope to avenge their defeats.
Paul had been a fan favorite on social media, and his wins over Tyron Woodley in the UFC have seen him win the popularity battle against the former champ. He was a slight favorite to beat Fury but lost by a split decision.
He was also docked a point for a punch in the fifth round that he says cost him the fight. This is a common criticism against referees, and he is right to think that it may have affected the battle’s outcome.
There were plenty of scuffles, grappling, and bloodshed in the ring on Sunday. But despite the drama, both boxers came out on top.
In the first round, Paul looked to be a better fighter. He was faster and more mobile and landed a lot of combination shots. He threw a good jab that was on course to win him this fight.
Then, in the second round, Fury started to take control and began to outbox Paul comprehensively. He moved well, clung to Paul, and hit him with good power shots.
He got caught out by some flurries from Paul and ran into some of his jabs too many times.
This left him vulnerable to countering rights from Fury, who had more variety in his movement and footwork. He was able to pick off Paul’s jabs and land some flurries of his own in the second round.
Paul had a chance to get the fight to the eighth round when he caught Fury in the middle with a stiff jab and dropped him to the canvas. But he could not capitalize on the knockdown and was outboxed in the final round by Fury’s more consistent jabs.