After Mike Tyson withdrew due to health reasons, Jake Paul is now preparing to fight Mike Perry next month in an exciting bout.
Paul, also known as the Problem Kid, continues to attract big names to the ring in combat sports. But will the fight with ‘Platinum’ Perry be a competitive fight or just another big payday?
Before entering his boxing career, Paul was known as a YouTuber and a social network star. He began his professional career in 2020, following an amateur victory over content creator Deji Olatunji. Although some people sometimes question The Problem Child’s dedication to boxing, he has earned respect as a professional boxer.
Paul has wins over former UFC stars including Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley (twice). During his professional career, The Problem Child has a 9-1 record. The only loss was to Tommy Fury, who was undefeated and the most complete fighter Paul had ever faced in boxing. It was a close fight with Fury by split decision.
Perry also has a unique path in combat sports. In his teens, he started boxing and later switched to mixed martial arts. In 2016, Perry debuted in the UFC and soon found success with the promotion. But Platinum went on to lose 4 of his last 5 fights, leading to him signing with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2021. There, it didn’t take him long to become the biggest star in the promotion. promotion process.
After winning his first two fights with BKFC, he earned a major title shot against Luke Rockhold. According to MMA Fighting, after defeating the former UFC middleweight champion, Perry signed a multi-match contract worth about 8 million USD.
Platinum went on to win two more against other former UFC fighters, Thiago Alves and Eddie Alvarez. In addition to his 5-0 record at BKFC, Perry also has one boxing match on his resume, which came in 2015 when he was knocked out by Kenneth McNeil.
While Paul has faced many former UFC fighters without much experience in boxing, Perry has not. Even when Platinum was in the UFC, he wasn’t the type of opponent who would look for a choke and takedown. Of his 21 victories in combat sports, 15 of them were by knockout. He is very dangerous when standing.
While the stand-up skills are there, keep a few warnings in mind for Perry. Not only does he not have much experience with professional fights inside the ring – but the glove size will also be something that needs adjusting. In the UFC, gloves typically weigh about four ounces. And BKFC, where Perry has played since 2022, does not require hand padding. Bare-knuckle fights are faster-paced, with fights lasting two minutes, five rounds. Perry will fight the YouTuber-turned-boxer in an eight-round cruiserweight bout on July 20. Other adjustments will be speed and cardio.
Given Paul’s experience and recent activity in boxing, the bookies are leaning towards the 27-year-old to win. Paul is rated a -240 favorite, while Perry is rated a -190, according to sports analysis website Sportscasting. When he switched to boxing, Perry would have difficulty winning. He will need to be patient and keep his energy up for eight rounds. But at the same time, this 32-year-old boxer cannot avoid exploding when given the opportunity.
We predicted that Paul’s cardio would be too much for Perry and he won by knockout in the seventh round. However, we think Perry will have his moments early in the fight. But this will be a match between two of the biggest draws in combat sports that fans won’t want to miss. It can be viewed on DAZN PPV for $64.99
