On February 26th, Jake Paul (6-0) will face the first professional boxer of his career when he takes on Tommy Fury (8-0). The fight takes place in Saudi Arabia and will be distributed by ESPN pay-per-view.

Paul last fought in October when he defeated former UFC superstar Anderson Silva via unanimous decision. The fight was close heading into the 8th and final round but Paul was able to score a knockdown to secure the victory.

Paul’s co-trainer BJ Flores expects his charge to build off of that experience. Silva had defeated former champion Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. a year prior to his encounter with the popular Influencer turned boxer.

“Jake is extremely committed to making a statement on February 26th.  He has sacrificed everything to be at his best in less than two weeks and we are only days away.  There is nothing left to say. 2023 will be a massive year for Jake,” Flores told BoxingScene.com.

“All is good. Training camp has been excellent. Jake is in tremendous shape. This fight will be a real surprise to a lot of boxing fans. Grab your popcorn and watch the show he puts on.”

Flores also gave credit to fellow co-trainer Danny Smith who has also helped Paul grow as a professional fighter.  

“Danny and I have almost 20 years history together and Danny is one of the greatest boxing minds I know. Danny has been crucial to Jake’s development and we are only getting better,” said Flores.

After fighting three times in 2021, Paul only fought once last year. He is expected to have a more active 2023 campaign.

Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter