Paul vs Perry and the Draw of a Punchers Chance
Jake Paul really wants to fight on July 20, the date was originally reserved for him to face “Iron” Mike Tyson but the bout was put off due to Tyson falling ill. Now, Paul will face arguably the most popular bare-knuckle boxer today, “Platinum” Mike Perry. Paul truly wants to be in the deepest waters of pugilists, and he very well may be in over his head with Perry.
Perry has an MMA record of 14-8 ( 11 wins by knockout), a professional boxing record of 0-1 from one bout in 2015, and in BKFC, he has gone 5-0 with finishes over Luke Rockhold, Tiago Alves, and Eddie Alvarez. Perry also faced seasoned boxer Michael Seals (27-3) in Triad Combat where he won via split decision. He’s also 32 years old and in his prime.
Paul’s professional boxing record (9-1) was built mostly on MMA fighters crossing over into boxing. Paul trains like a professional boxer, his youth and lifestyle complement the time he puts into the craft. Common sense and history show that senior competitors under the agreed-upon ruleset will always favor that competitor. Jake Paul is a boxer. Under boxing rules against fighters from other rulesets, chances are Paul wins.
But Perry is different.
Some may look at the one pro-boxing bout and think that is a mark against him. But that was in 2015 and for those paying attention, Perry has focused on honing the craft of making his hands fight ending weapons. Moreso since he focused on bare-knuckle boxing. He’s even spent time training with Roy Jones Jr. Perry may not be a boxer to the boxing purists, but he’s definitely someone to worry about when winning by knockout is an option, regardless of the rules.
Opinions were varied when Paul was supposed to face Tyson. Tyson will be 58 years old on July 20 and the match-up was scrutinized because Paul is facing an older, retired former heavyweight champion of the world who is way past his prime. But it’s still Mike Tyson, that alone kept the interest of fans.
Against Perry, it seems more like a fair fight. Perry is an active competitor, in a less accepted form of boxing but he’s young and currently on a five-fight win streak. He may not check all the boxes regarding what boxing fans look for, but what does it matter if he’s winning his fights?
