The news broke on Tuesday that Jake Paul will indeed fight on July 20. “The Problem Child” was slated to faced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on that date, but Tyson was forced out of the fight with a medical issue.
With Tyson out, Paul decided to stay on the July 20 fight card that will take now place in Tampa, Fla. Paul will clash with former UFC welterweight and undefeated bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry. Perry is a dangerous opponent, and former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes “Platinum” is going to beat Paul at Amalie Arena next month.
“Can Mike Perry do in boxing what he does in bare knuckle,” Cormier questioned on his YouTube channel. “Does that translate to boxing?”
Paul is coming off a first-round knockout win over Ryan Bourland in March. He’s 9-1 in his professional boxing career. Perry rejuvenated his career after leaving the UFC in 2021. He was signed by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and is undefeated in the fight promotion with wins over former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold. Perry last fought in April, stopping Thiago Alves in the first round. He also holds BKFC win over Michael “Venom” Page.
“Can Mike Perry stalk him in the way that he stalks guys in bare knuckle? And does the damage make Jake Paul start to question himself like it did to Luke Rockhold, like it did to Thiago Alves? He hurt Eddie Alvarez bad. Bad. These are tough guys,” Cormier said.
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“What we’ve learned about Jake is that he possesses enough skills to cause problems for many in the boxing ring. He’s going to be bigger than Perry. He’s going to have more boxing experience than Perry. But does that equate? If I’m being honest with you, I believe that Mike Perry wins this fight. I think Mike Perry is going to make this fight just ugly enough to beat Jake,” Cormier continued.
Perry is aggressive, hits hard, and isn’t easily broken. He comes to fight ever single time and has become the face of BKFC. Cormier admitted that he’ll be tuning in to watch.
“I’m going to watch this one. 100 percent I am going to watch this one,” he said. “I’m excited. I like that one. This is probably the most exciting fight I’ve had for Jake Paul, but I believe he gets beat. Jake Paul gets beat July 20th.
Paul is expected to face Tyson on Nov. 15 at the originally slated venue, AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. It’s unclear what a potential loss to Perry would do to the November match with Tyson.
