YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley are meeting once again, this time for a rematch after Woodley’s grisly defeat only months ago.
The pay-per-view event, which includes four fights, is scheduled to start Saturday, December 18 at 9 p.m. ET at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida. The eight-round cruiserweight bout will be available on Showtime, with general tickets available for $ 59.99.
Woodley, who experienced his first defeat in his pro career following an eight-round split decision in August, has been given an opportunity for redemption after Paul’s scheduled opponent, Love Island star and professional boxer Tommy Fury, withdrew due to health issues.
Fury posted an Instagram video December 6 explaining the reason behind his withdrawal, revealing he contracted a bacterial chest infection that made it difficult for him to breathe or sleep.
“That went on for about four weeks because I had the mindset of I’m going to keep training, I’m going to get through this, I’m going to have the fight no matter what,” Fury said.
However, after a trip to the hospital, the boxer discovered he had a broken rib and multiple fractures and was advised by doctors and his team to withdraw from the fight.
“Even now sitting here filming this video it hasn’t sank in that I’m not fighting,” Fury said. “I can’t do anything else apart from getting my body right as quickly as possible and look for a new fight date with Jake Paul. There’s no other fight I want out there, that’s the fight I want next.”
“This is bank robbery.”
Paul won his fourth straight match in his bout against Woodley, and has also previously defeated fellow YouTube personality AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson and former MMA fighter Ben Askren.
Before turning toward a boxing career, Paul had been widely known on social media as a brash and controversial YouTube star, where he has more than 20 million subscribers.
“They’re going to give me a big bag to go and beat the guy I already beat,” Paul said during the Fight Week press conference, while wearing a ski mask over his head. “This is bank robbery.”
If Woodley knocks out Paul during the match, he will also receive an additional $ 500,000 bonus, Paul promised.
In 2016, Woodley, also known as “The Chosen One,” won a UFC title and subsequently defended it four times, according to ESPN.
“When I got the call, the sentence wasn’t even finished before I was in,” Woodley said during the conference. “I’m just excited about the opportunity to go out here and redeem myself. We found out a lot about each other that night in the ring. There’s mutual respect but there’s still some unfinished business.”
The event includes an undercard featuring Amanda Serrano against Miriam Gutierrez, Deron Williams against Frank Gore and Liam Paro against Yomar Alamo.
