Jake Paul alluded to a future bare-knock fight with Mike Perry while claiming he's a “crazy motherfucker.” The “King of Violence” doesn't believe it.
Shortly after the July 20 boxing match was announced, Paul publicly stated he was interested in potentially facing Perry in a mixed martial arts or bare-knuckle bout to prove he could beat the 32-year-old veteran anywhere, under any circumstances.
“I want to fight in MMA and I think Perry would be a good opponent for MMA and bare-knuckle fighting,” Paul said. MMA Hour In June: “I haven't thought about it yet, but I'm in favor.”
After Mike Tyson was forced to postpone his bout with Paul until November due to health issues, Perry didn't hesitate to sign up for a boxing match with Paul, but the former UFC fighter turned BKFC superstar laughed off the idea that Paul would actually consider hanging up the gloves and fighting barehanded.
“The thing I keep reminding Jake is that he doesn't fight bare-knuckle,” Perry told MMA Fighting. “It doesn't matter if he says that or not, especially after this fight with 10-ounce gloves, he wants to say things like, 'Boxing is a great sport and these hooligans are fighting bare-knuckle.'
“I'm going to beat him in 10-ounce gloves so he'll never want to fight bare-handed.”
Paul would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage going hand-to-hand against an experienced opponent like Perry, who has a perfect 5-0 record in BKFC, including wins over former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez.
One could argue that Perry would have a similarly tough fight in the boxing ring, as he is significantly outmatched in size, weight and experience by Paul, a social influencer with a 9-1 record in his professional career.
Perry doesn't think so, but he has no problem playing the underdog until game day.
“I have a kudos that other opponents don't have,” Perry explained. “I'm 6-0 over the last few years. I fought a pro boxer who had a really good record and a lot of experience in the ring. It was seven two-minute rounds.
“I've sparred with Jake for free before. He tried to pay me but I said no. I didn't want the money at the time. I was just looking to get more work and experience, but that was while I was still at UFC. I've just been working towards this and this is a great opportunity for me and my professional boxing record.”
In the lead up to the fight, Paul had repeatedly warned that he was going to defeat Perry with a powerful knockout, and that's exactly what he did, defeating his previous two opponents in the boxing ring.
Perry noted that while Paul may have defeated two veteran fighters who offered little resistance, just three fights prior, Paul fought UFC veteran Nate Diaz for 10 rounds. That night, Paul knocked Diaz down but was unable to finish him before ultimately winning by unanimous decision.
“He couldn't beat Nate Diaz in a 10-round boxing match,” Perry said. “I know Nate's very tough and I have to say I'm just as tough, if not tougher, than Nate Diaz. Nate's a smart guy. He fought at a slower pace. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to hurt Jake.”
“I'm going to put pressure on him. I have Mike Tyson brawler-style boxing. I'm going to put pressure on him. I'm going to get on the inside, slide left and right, throw straights, hooks, jabs, body shots. I want to attack his body. I want to break down his flanks. I want him to get tired of fighting me so I can stop putting pressure on him no matter what he does.”
Despite Paul's talk and speculation since the fight was announced, Perry has remained firm in his thoughts on how the matchup will play out.
Paul may start strong, but Perry promises he'll be the one to claim the win late in the match.
“I said knockout, TKO in the seventh round,” Perry said. “I want Jake to his knees. I want him to go down and I want him to hit me hard. Jake's not going to sit back and let me land my best punches. I need to time it. I'm ready. I need to put pressure on Jake. I need to tire him out over time, break him down. I need to hit him to the body, find that bump on the side of his head and eventually by the seventh, maybe eighth, round, I want to take Jake down in the final round.”
“I have to stop him. I have to put pressure on him, overpower him and give him no choice but for the referee to step in and stop him from hitting me.”
