Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry isn’t the worldwide curiosity that Paul vs. Mike Tyson will be, but it’s a compelling fight in its sub-genre of professional boxing. Saturday’s marquee is seemingly competitive and bolstered by an undercard featuring multiple current and former boxing champions.
Unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano further legitimizes Paul’s foray into boxing by pairing her credibility with Paul’s popularity. Serrano has an important rematch with Katie Taylor on the horizon but she takes a detour to fight up-and-comer Stevie Morgan at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. also fights on the card, taking on a former UFC middleweight contender.
Take a look at three fights worth watching before Paul and Perry enter the ring on Saturday.
Amanda Serrano vs. Stevie Morgan
Serrano is keeping busy before her big rematch with Taylor. Unified featherweight champion Serrano plans to meet undisputed lightweight and super lightweight champ Taylor in a rematch from their April 2022 fight that Taylor won via split decision. Serrano vs. Taylor 2 was bumped from July 20 to Nov. 15 along with Paul vs. Tyson, but Serrano isn’t missing out this weekend. Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) instead fights heavy-handed but vastly less experienced lightweight Stevie Morgan (14-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday. Morgan only turned pro two years ago yet fights one of the world’s top women’s boxers. Serrano is a massive betting favorite to beat Morgan in what many consider a tune-up fight ahead of the Taylor rematch after she was unable to fight on home soil in March due to an eye injury the night of the fight.
Ashton Sylve vs. Lucas Bahdi
Undefeated prospects get a major spotlight on the Paul vs. Perry undercard. “H20” Sylve (11-0, 9 KOs) takes on Canada’s Bahdi (16-0, 14 KOs). Sylve is considered one of the top young prospects in the sport. While a fight on a Paul vs. Tyson undercard would likely showcase him to a larger audience, this is still a huge opportunity for someone to raise their stock. KOs are high priorities for both fighters but they’ll need to approach mindfully against their undefeated opponents. Sylve, originally scheduled to meet undefeated prospect Floyd Schofield, is a solid betting favorite.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Uriah Hall
Perry isn’t the only former UFC fighter boxing on Saturday. Boxing purists might prefer seeing undefeated prospects Tony Aguilar and Corey Marksman amend their split decision draw from February, but we’ll lean into the bizarre. Former WBC middleweight champion Cesar Chavez Jr. (53-6-1, 34 KOs) welcomes another MMA fighter to the boxing ring. Chavez Jr. was originally scheduled to box UFC fighter Darren Till on the card but will host Hall’s second boxing fight instead. Hall is a phenomenal striker, but his dynamic kicks and knees made him a true threat. Chavez Jr. recovered from a split-decision loss to legendary UFC champion Anderson Silva — a man Hall beat in MMA — with a unanimous decision win over David Zegarra. Hall’s four-round boxing debut wasn’t inspiring, but there’s a bit of morbid curiosity to watch this play out.
