Carl Frampton understands ‘massive appeal’ of Jake Paul v Tommy Fury fight
Frampton #Frampton
Belfast boxing legend Carl Frampton admits that he understands the ‘massive appeal’ of this weekend’s fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury.
The two novice stars take to the ring in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night to end a feud that has been almost a year in the making.
The fight between Paul, a former YouTube sensation and Fury, a Love Island contestant and brother of Heavyweight king Tyson Fury, is one of the most anticipated bouts in recent years.
READ MORE: Jake Paul sets out three-fight plan including YouTube rival KSI and MMA debut
The matchup has been controversial for a number of reasons, with some unhappy that two novice fighters with just 14 fights between them have been given such a high-profile event to show their skills.
Frampton admits that he was one of the people that were a bit peeved when the fight was announced. However, the 36-year-old concedes that the fight is hugely appealing to people who ordinarily would have no interest in boxing.
“This is two novice professionals I think going head-to-head in a very well-matched fight,” Frampton told BBC Sport.
“I’m not doing a disservice to both guys by saying that. That’s what they are, they’re novice fighters but they’re improving fighters.
“I think the big thing with this fight is the appeal of it. I’ve never known a fight to have this… I was involved in boxing when Floyd Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao and it was obviously huge amongst sports fans and boxing fans.
“But this is the first time that my daughter who’s 12-years-old and my wife have both said that they can’t wait for Tommy Fury and Jake Paul. That’s a completely different audience, but I think the appeal of this fight is huge, it’s really massive.
“As a boxer, who has dedicated his life to this sport, it did annoy me a little bit to be honest at the start that these guys were getting so much attention.
“But I understand it now and I can see why there’s such an appeal.”
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