When Mike Tyson pulled out of his Netflix boxing return with a medical issue, the thought process was that his much younger opponent, YouTube star turned boxer Jake Paul, would sit out with him in advance of their new date in November.
Instead, Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) has decided to not only hold the originally scheduled date of this Saturday for his next fight, he is potentially risking the payout of the Tyson fight altogether when he returns for a 200-pound catchweight bout against bareknuckle star Mike Perry (0-1 in boxing) in the main event of a DAZN pay-per-view card from Tampa, Florida.
The new opponent brings with it a number of interesting challenges for the 27-year-old “Problem Child” and the promise of an exciting, two-way slugfest. Let’s take a closer look at the biggest storylines entering this weekend.
1. Mike Perry is the toughest opponent of Jake Paul’s boxing career
Paul, in between sharing his goal of one day becoming a legitimate boxing titleholder, has largely feasted on past-their-prime MMA stars as a professional boxer. Even though Paul’s lone boxing defeat came against his most “legitimate” opponent to date in the form of Tommy Fury, the reality TV star and half-brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, there wasn’t a ton of actual danger in that fight as Fury largely jabbed and held. The 32-year-old Perry, on the other hand, brings the threat of real violence to the table, both in the sense of his punching power and his relentlessness. After losing seven of his final 10 UFC appearances, Perry exited the promotion in 2019 as a bit of an aimless journeyman who couldn’t avoid legal issues for multiple incidents of public fights against civilians. But Perry, to his credit, has rebuilt his life, reputation and bank account after signing with BKFC and winning all five of his bouts against a variety of current and former MMA stars including Michael “Venom” Page, Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez. Not only has Perry become a legitimate PPV star, in the process, he has found a way to harness his strengths in the most efficient and brutal way possible. Perry, who was stopped in his lone pro boxing appearance back in 2015, has power in both hands, an iron chin and a willingness to keep pushing through pain in order to try and break the will (if not the face) of his opponents. Perry is also still in the midst of his physical prime, which few Paul opponents have been.
2. But let’s not overlook the obvious size difference between the two fighters
This is by far the biggest hurdle that Perry is facing and the reason, most likely, that oddsmakers have installed Paul as nearly a 4-to-1 betting favorite, even with the idea that this has potential to be his toughest fight to date. For as game and ruthless as Perry can be in the bareknuckle space, boxing isn’t the same exact sport. And Perry, who largely competed at 170 pounds during his UFC run, has already been competing over his head at 185 pounds in BKFC, largely because he has been able to out bully his often larger opponents. But this won’t be a 185-pound bout, which is very close to the weight that Paul has competed at for most of his boxing journey. This will be a 200-pound bout due to the fact that Paul had bulked up for Tyson and was preparing to fight at heavyweight. Paul, who already will hold advantages of three inches in height and five inches in reach, also has decidedly more experience as an actual boxer, which he could combine with his size to keep Perry’s aggression at bay.
3. Are we sure the Mike Tyson fight is dependent upon a Paul win?
From the standpoint of typical boxing matchmaking, this one feels like a no-brainer: if Paul loses to Perry, all of the demand for the perfect storm that is the Tyson fight will be gone with it. The only problem with that is there is nothing typical about a fight like Tyson-Paul. This is the ultimate freak show of prizefighting pitting a 58-year-old former heavyweight champion against a still novice celebrity fighter who is three decades younger than him. As much concern as there is for Tyson’s age, Paul’s partner in Most Valuable Promotions, Nakisa Bidarian, isn’t wrong in suggesting publicly of late that the fight really only makes sense because of the exaggerated age and experience difference between them. In this case, the fight doesn’t really change all that much if Paul is 10-1 or 9-2 coming in as a pro boxer. In fact, some have even gone the route of suggesting that if Paul looks vulnerable at all against Perry (up to, and including, a stoppage defeat), it might actually help the Tyson fight do even better commercially because it would showcase the vulnerabilities of Paul while simultaneously easing the fear many have that Tyson is walking into a no-win trap that will inevitably end with a middle-aged man getting beat up by a prime athlete. Either way, much of the intrigue of the fight continues to surround the idea that Tyson is returning from retirement to rid the boxing world of Paul’s carnival theatrics. Whether or not that is true, Paul still needs to make sure to avoid any possible misstep that might jeopardize the interest that the masses still seem to have for this oddball Tyson event.
4. Perry’s life transformation has been remarkable
Just four years ago, domestic violence allegations and restaurant fights against elderly men had become the norm for Perry outside of the fighting circle. But it’s incredible how much Perry has matured since then and, by proxy, how much his reputation has pulled a 180. The “Platinum” one is now largely a fan favorite who has rebuilt his image into that of a respected (but still rugged) brawler who never backs down from a challenge and always delivers in terms of entertainment. Perry is now a married man and a father of two, whose success in BKFC has allowed him to purchase a home and experience as much traditional, domestic bliss as a man as ruthless of a fistfighter can enjoy. Should Perry pull the upset on Saturday, there’s no telling what might be next for him in any number of combat disciplines. But make no mistake, no one expected this just a few years ago. And the secret to Perry’s success has been his ability to separate the new peace in his personal life from the rabid style he continues to fight with inside the ring.
