Eddie Hearn 'not a fan' of giving Jake Paul a world ranking

When he announced last week that Jake Paul would earn a world ranking in the cruiserweight division should he defeat Tommy Fury, World Boxing Council President Maurico Sulaiman generated a lot of media attention.

The unbeaten Tommy Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) will fight the former YouTube sensation on February 26 in Saudi Arabia.

Paul, who has gone undefeated in six bouts with four knockout victories, has yet to compete against a true boxer. Most of his victories have been over MMA pros.

Although Fury is a prospect with a perfect record and is the younger sibling of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, he has never really been put to the test in the ring.

Eddie Hearn, a seasoned promoter, does not entirely concur with the WBC's choice to put Paul in line for a world ranking, but he can see why it was made.

"Sometimes governing bodies have to live in that commercial world as well. Tommy Fury's a proper fighter and Jake Paul would make a statement if he won that fight. Not a statement that he can challenge for a world title, but, ultimately, there's a little bit of publicity in there," Hearn told IFL TV.

"Is it right? Not really. Because there's fighters that deserve to be in the top 15 much more than Jake Paul, but it's the world we live in."

Hearn has been leaning toward Paul winning the match even though he believes it to be a nearly even matchup.

“Mentally, he’ll break Tommy Fury. I think he’ll mess with Tommy mentally, and I just think by the time they get in the ring, if they do get in the ring, I think Tommy will be defeated before the fight’s even taken place. And I think will win by knockout," Hearn told The MMA Hour.