Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul by split decision in the most anticipated bout between two rookies in boxing history.
Fury, 23, was a busy fighter landing more accurate punches and showing off his boxing fundamentals.
The former Love Island star, brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in the eighth round.
One judge scored it 75-74 for Paul, while the other two scored it 76-73 for Fury.
“It has consumed my life for the last two years,” an emotional Fury, who has now won all nine of his professional bouts, told BT Sport.
“Everyone thought I was running scared but tonight I made my own legacy.”
After dedicating the fight to his newborn daughter Bambi, Fury added: “This is my first main event, I’m going to get bigger and better and if he wants a rematch, bring it on.”
Paul – losing for the first time in his seventh professional fight – said: “All credit to Tommy, he won. Don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses.
“I don’t know if I agree with the judges, it is what it is but that’s the world of boxing.”
Construction and climate in Saudi Arabia
Several stars from the world of sports and entertainment were in attendance and many more were following the eight round match from home.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo were present at Riyadh’s open-top Diriya Arena.
Popstar Drake Paul shared a screenshot of a $400,000 (£335,000) bet for a KO win, while Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin tweeted: “No better way to celebrate your half birthday than watching Jake Paul get punched in the head repeatedly.”
The main event was given the full big-fight treatment, with legendary master of ceremonies Michael Buffer introducing both fighters.
Fury, dressed in white with his newborn daughter’s name emblazoned on his robes, walked to the ring first, accompanied by trainer and father John Fury and brother Tyson.
But while Fury waited patiently, ‘The Problem Child’ Paul was still pacing as the mind games continued in his dressing room. As Paul made his entrance, a chorus of boos echoed around the venue.
Unusually, the fight took place on Sunday night and both Paul and Fury, who boast huge social media followings among younger fans, didn’t ring the first bell until 22:30 GMT (01:30 local time) – almost an hour later than scheduled.
The fight is the latest lucrative sporting event held in Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has spent billions to bring elite sport to its country but critics such as human rights organization Amnesty International have accused Saudi Arabia of trying to ‘sportswash’ the country’s “rare” human rights record.
How did the fight go?
After all the hype and anticipation, it was a scrappy opening minute of the fight. Fury landed a couple of solid jabs and ended the round with the first meaningful punch, a left hook.
Fury settled in well in the second, rocking Paul’s head back with a sharp jab – and showing by turning his hand and landing a flush punch.
With Paul seeing the only power shots, he landed a right on Fury’s forehead but missed wildly on other occasions.
Paul started using his jab and found success in the third. Then, somewhat eerily, Paul’s brother Logan was interviewed at ringside and for everyone in the arena to hear, he insulted Fury and his family.
There was already a fight Divided opinion The round episode in and between the boxing world further cements the views of conservatives who feel the sport is being mocked.
The comments seemed to encourage Fury, who connected with a short right hand and followed it up with a flurry of shots from range in the fourth, although Paul ended the round well, landing the cleaner shots.
Paul had the best of the fifth round but was deducted a point for a punch to the back of the head. Fury landed some terrific uppercuts in the sixth, but then he deducted a point for the hold. The referee did not warn any of the fighters in advance.
The fighters were exhausted in the seventh, the first time in Fury’s career that he had gone deep into the fight. But Britain was edged in the round by its work rate.
In a frantic final round, with both boxers looking to land a telling blow, Fury hit the deck with a Paul jab. He looked more startled than hurt and insisted to the jury that it was a slip.
‘This is my destiny’
The WBC said the winner would now receive a top-40 ranking with the sanctioning body, which could in theory pave the way for a future world-title shot.
This angered many hardcore boxing fans, who felt there were more deserving fighters to be ranked.
In his short career thus far, Paul has boldly – and to the annoyance of those fans – called for the best boxing has to offer.
He mentioned the likes of one of the top pound-for-pound stars, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and more recently former British world champion Carl Froch.
But he lost his first fight against an opponent with a boxing background. He previously faced YouTuber Anneson Gibb, ex-NBA basketball player Nate Robinson and MMA fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.
“I’ve already won all the way in life,” he said. “I did more than I thought. I’ll take it on the chin but we can run it back.”
Before the fight, Fury was told that his father and brother would disown him if he lost.
“All the way through, I had the dream and the vision to win this fight but now everyone stands up and takes notice,” said the winner.
“The pressure was on my shoulders and I came. This is a world-title fight for me – this is my destiny.”
