Tommy Fury and KSI will finally settle their rivalry this weekend and the former Love Island star is being backed as the heavy favourite against his inexperienced opponent.
The two will lock horns at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night after months of trading verbal insults and barbs before some heated exchanges at press conferences.
Fury has already beaten KSI’s fellow YouTuber Jake Paul this year in a money-spinning contest in Saudi Arabia and he has quickly moved onto another internet sensation as he looks to exploit boxing’s influencer market.
The 24-year-old was put on the canvas in the final round of that fight, which may help give KSI some hope of pulling off a shock victory, though he will not be given much of a chance given Fury’s upbringing in the sport.
Mail Sport has trawled through the big predictions from some of the high-profile names in boxing ahead of the highly-anticipated fight.
KSI (left) and Tommy Fury will lock horns at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night
David Haye
The former cruiser and heavyweight champion is never far from a controversial opinion and he has stuck his neck out to tip the YouTuber for a shock win.
Explaining his reasoning, he said Fury had been ‘overrated’ and that KSI was ‘underrated’, saying that the fact he was floored by Paul in his last fight means there is a chance of a ‘huge shock’ on Saturday night.
‘I think KSI beats him,’ he told JOE. ‘Everybody just believes Tommy’s so much better.
‘The best name on his record is Jake Paul, and that was a close fight in which he got knocked down.
‘So it’s not like he has this depth of experience.
‘I think everybody’s overrating Tommy and very much underrating KSI, and that gives KSI a massive advantage. I believe it’s gonna be a big shock.’
VERDICT: KSI WIN
David Hay believes KSI will upset Fury, insisting being underrated gives him an advantage
John Fury
No surprise that that father of Tommy Fury, and the man in his corner, is backing him to seal a comfortable victory.
Fury Snr laughed off KSI’s taunts that he will stop Fury and said he can ‘keep dreaming’ – as he claimed the YouTuber will be ‘squawking like a chicken in the ring.
‘It’s nice for him to dream – but he can keep dreaming,’ he told Mail Sport. ‘Good luck to the guy, he’s coming to fight but there’s no way he can beat Tommy. I don’t care who he’s trained with what his mindset’s like, there’s no way in the world he can win.
‘It’s nonsense, ludicrous that he can even think it. One man’s been fighting all his life, messed around with the best fighter in the world, bred to fight. One’s been doing some YouTubing and only been boxing five minutes. How can he win? Come on. Give your head a wobble.
‘He might run round the ring squarking like a chicken and when Tommy catches up to him and knocks him out that’s what’s coming. Let him dream and talk big, enjoy the time because that’s the only time he will be big. On Saturday night you will see the difference between a man who can fight and one who can’t.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Unsurprisingly John Fury (right) expects his son Tyson (left) to get the job done
Matchroom chief Hearn has been a stern critic of YouTuber and exhibition bouts between internet stars and celebrities but claimed this bout was closer to a ‘real fight’ with the presence of a pro fighter in Fury.
He went with Fury as the victor in this contest but admitted that KSI had a chance of coming out on top because of how close his rival’s fight with Paul was.
‘I’ve got to say Tommy Fury but KSI is strong in the mind,’ he told Boxing Social.
‘It’s a good fight. People didn’t like that I said we’ve got to boot influencer as far away from real boxing as possible. Distance is a better word. This fight moves closer to real boxing and I think KSI has done unbelievably well and I have a lot of respect for him outside and inside the ring because he believes in himself. Tommy Fury is not going to go on to become anything in profesional boxing but well done to him he’s absolutely swum the channel and making millions.
‘It would be slightly embarrassing for Tommy Fury but KSI is improving a lot – it can happen, Jake Paul nearly beat him. There was only a round or two in it.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Eddie Hearn has backed Fury to win but admitted that KSI had a chance of coming out on top
Tyson Fury
Just like his father, the heavyweight world champion refused to go against his family member but remained balanced in his verdict as he insisted that KSI will come to fight and that fans would see a good fight in Manchester.
‘It’s a good matchup,’ he said on Radio 1. ‘They’re both quite popular. KSI’s no pushover for sure. I obviously think my brother will win.
‘My father always said to me go against your family for a stranger. So even if I thought KSI would win I’d still say Tommy because I’d never sell my family out.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Tyson Fury has backed his brother to win I but acknowledged KSI will come to fight
Anthony Joshua
AJ has often sat on the fence while predicting big fights and there is no change here and he called this match-up a ’50/50 fight’.
The former unified heavyweight world champion said he had initially favoured KSI before considering Fury’s seried experience in boxing.
‘Tommy Fury vs. KSI, it’s a real 50/50 fight,’ he said, speaking to DAZN.
‘I would sway towards KSI, but then if I value experience, I think Tommy should pull it off because he’s coming from a fighting family, but KSI’s been banging people out though.
‘He beat Logan Paul who’s big and strong, went the rounds with Mayweather as well Logan did.
‘It’s a real 50/50 fight, for this one I’m sitting on the fence.’
VERDICT: CAN’T CALL IT
Antony Joshua has called the bout between Fury and KSI a ’50-50 bout’
Tony Bellew
Former cruiserweight champion Bellew has been another critique of YouTube boxing in the past but he weight up both sides of the argument and believes Fury is facing the toughest fight of his career so far.
He said he expected Fury to get the job done but said he will have to work for it.
‘I think this will be the hardest fight of his career because JJ (KSI) has something about him where he will just let his hands go,’ said Bellew, as per the Express.
‘Jake Paul wouldn’t let his hands go but I think KSI will. So while I’m predicting a win for Tommy Fury, it’s not with any real certainty. It’s only a six-round fight, so I think they might both just let their hands go.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Tony Bellew believes Fury is facing the toughest fight of his career so far on Saturday night
Viddal Riley
Riley has previously worked with KSI in the past as a training partner for his fight against Logan Paul in 2019 and shares a close relationship with the 30-year-old.
Having seen what he can do up close, Riley has insisted that KSI will relish being the underdog for this clash and believes that mentality could see him through to claim a shock victory.
[KSI] is not supposed to win,’ he said. ‘If anyone says otherwise they’re lying. He’s the underdog but he loves being the underdog. He loves being in the position where someone says ‘you can’t do it’. With that mentality, I think he can do it. He’s got the power, the speed the athleticism. If it goes to points then Tommy but any less than that then KSI.
VERDICT: KSI WIN
Viddal Riley has previously worked with KSI and has backed the YouTuber to beat Fury
Amir Khan
Ex-welterweight world champion Khan is sticking behind Fury thanks to his boxing education from a young age.
Khan believes the showdown is a ‘mis-match’ as a result and warned KSI – and other internet stars like him – that one day an influencer could ‘get hurt’ while making the step up to a big fight such as this.
‘He comes from a boxing family, he’s a better fighter and he’s got the power and the skill-set to knock out these influencers,’ he claimed. ‘I think it’s a mis-match because he’s the fighter that has been doing this since he was young. The influencers are going to get hurt one day when they’re taking big fights against proper boxers.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Amir Khan is sticking behind Fury thanks to his boxing education from a young age
Jake Paul
The American should know Fury better than anyone having already faced him in the ring earlier this year – going on to lose via unanimous decision.
He earned credit by keeping things competitive and even sent his rival to the canvas in the final round, but still thinks Fury will earn a KO victory.
With Paul also eyeing up a future fight with KSI, he sees Fury as the YouTuber’s ‘first real test’.
‘I think he’s going to get knocked out by Tommy in less than five rounds,’ he said.
‘I mean [KSI] is doing these gimmick WWE fights up until now. Tommy is his first real test, but who knows, he might throw an elbow on Tommy, too.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Jake Paul believes Fury will knock KSI out in five rounds or less on Saturday night
Ricky Hatton
Legendary former British world champion boxer Hatton has trained with Tommy and sees him as a ‘very talented’ fighter – dismissing KSI’s chances of a shock win.
He called KSI ‘all over the show’ having watched footage of him in action, claiming he could cause problems in the early rounds but cannot see anything but a victory for the brother of Tyson Fury.
‘Absolutely.’ he told Mighty Tips when asked if he thought Tommy Fury would see off KSI. ‘At the end of the day, Tommy is the professional boxer and KSI and Jake Paul are YouTubers. I certainly expect Tommy to win. I trained with Tommy for a fair bit and he’s very talented, very good. I watched a bit of footage of KSI and it’s the first time I had seen him. He’s a little bit all over the show and that could cause Tommy a few problems but I can’t honestly see anything other than a Tommy Fury win and coming through.
‘He’s got very good boxing skills and KSI might cause a headache over the first couple of rounds but ultimately when it comes to boxing skills Tommy has got the better ability.’
VERDICT: TOMMY FURY WIN
Ricky Hatton said he can’t ‘honestly see anything other than a Tommy Fury win’
