As Jake Paul prepares to fight Mike Perry on Saturday night, he believes age will be an “equalizing factor” when it comes to a bout with Mike Tyson.
Paul and Tyson were scheduled to face off on July 20, but the fight was postponed due to a recurrence of his ulcer.
Fans will be excited to see Paul and Perry go head to head this weekend, with millions expected to tune in.
The 27-year-old continues to brush off criticism about the skill disparity between him and Tyson, who will be 58 by the time their fight takes place in November.
Boxing News: Jake Paul shares thoughts ahead of fight with Mike Tyson later this year
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And Paul expressed his belief that Tyson's age is an “equalizer” and levels the playing field.
“The way I look at it is, say it to Mike Tyson's face and see what he does,” he told The Pat McAfee Show.
“One of the reporters who was discrediting him nearly jumped over the press table and knocked the guy across the buttocks.
“We are not Mike Tyson's father. We have no control over Mike Tyson. He is his own boss.”
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“If he wants to go out there and make tens of millions of dollars and finish me off, who are we to stop him?”
“This guy's been doing this his whole life. He's a born killer, this is what he loves to do and maybe what he needs.”
“So, yes, age is an issue, but I think it's a tie because he has more experience. But I've got the youth and I've got the speed, so maybe I can beat him.”
If Paul loses to Perry, his hopes of fighting Tyson will be gone.
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But Paul insists he's willing to take the risk, despite the millions of dollars it could cost.
“A lot of people think I'm crazy for taking this path. Why Mike Perry, why now, why take the risk? Mike Perry is a brutal killer and an undefeated hand-to-hand combat legend, but a loss to him could mean missing out on the biggest prize of a lifetime in a fight with Mike Tyson,” he added.
“He takes punches like it's nothing, he's fast, he's athletic, he hits hard and he's a brawler. You can't take that lightly.”
“You need experiences. You need to stay active.”
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Boxing News: Jake Paul to face Mike Perry this Saturday
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“I'm not afraid of anyone. I'm ready for anyone, anytime, anywhere. And I really back that up with my actions.”
“I'm not just walking around saying that. I'm just going to compete and I love performing.”
Paul also said he was grateful that Perry was competing in place of Tyson.
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“So when Mike Tyson withdrew, the question arose of who to fight to keep the July 20 date alive. Amanda Serrano, Ashton “H20” Silva and everyone on the undercard wanted to keep the event alive, so Mike Perry's name immediately came to mind.
“I thought, 'Oh man, he's amazing. He's like a pre-Mike (Tyson) guy.' (Perry) is violent, he's out there, he's scary, he doesn't care, but he doesn't care.”
“I hope to have the same attitude as him and it will be a good warm-up for Mike Tyson.”
