July 20, 2024 was to be a day in the world of Boxing marked by an event that is a curiosity more so than a legitimate fight in the eyes of many. The day that social media influencer turned aspiring Cruiserweight boxer Jake Paul was to enter the ring at AT&T Stadium in Dallas,TX to square off against long-retired two-time World Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in an event that would also signal a new entry of broadcast platform into the sport of Boxing in the form of Netflix. As most know, Tyson recently suffered a medical emergency on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles, which resulted in the event being postponed until Friday, November 15th.
With the fifty-eight year old Hall of Famer Tyson sidelined, Paul has opted to keep the original July 20 date as he will face UFC veteran and current Bareknuckle boxer Mike Perry at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL in a Cruiserweight bout that can be seen on DAZN Pay-Per-View. There are a few interesting things to keep in mind going into this fight. One the risk for Paul in moving forward with the date even though the fight with Tyson, criticized or not, has been rescheduled for November. After all, there is always the possibility of potential injury that could be sustained, including, but not limited to cuts that could derail things with Tyson even further. Secondly, there is a perception that Paul, who insists he is serious about being a boxer and wanting to be taken seriously as a boxer, with the goal of fighting for world championships, facing another fighter who is primarily known for his background in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
The wrinkle here is Mike Perry does have professional Boxing experience, but primarily as a Bareknuckle boxer. How that will translate as he will be fighting under the traditional professional Boxing format for only the second time, remains to be seen. What Perry does bring into this fight is he has shown in his Bareknuckle bouts that he is durable and can take a punch. Where there might be a liability for him is he has shown to be susceptible to being hit with right hands in those fights.
Although fights fought under Bareknuckle rules do not have the emphasis on the element of defense as compared to its traditional counterpart, what makes this noteworthy is Paul's primary weapon that he has shown throughout his career has been a right hand that he has been able to score six knockouts in his nine career victories. Meanwhile, Perry's lone bout fought under traditional Boxing rules was a four round decision loss to a fighter named Kenneth McNeil in March 2015 in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight. As a Bareknuckle boxer, however, Perry is unbeaten with a record of 6-0, with 3 Knockouts and will come into this fight off of a first round knockout over fellow UFC veteran Thiago Alvez in a fight fought in the Bareknucke Fighting Championship promotion (BKFC) in April of this year.
For his part, Paul is also coming off of a first round knockout win in March over a fighter named Ryan Bourland. While Bourland, a veteran of nineteen professional fights prior to facing Paul, was seen as a step in the right direction for Paul in the sense that unlike the vast majority of Paul's previous opposition, he was a professional boxer with more experience than him, he offered no resistance and Paul was able to get a stoppage late in the first round.
Whether or not this fight with Mike Perry turns out to be something more serious than a “Stay Busy" fight for Paul before taking part in an event being sold as a fight that has been heavily criticized due to the age of Mike Tyson, remains to be seen. While there is some risk involved here and it is understandable that Paul like most fighters in his position would want to stay active when an originally scheduled opponent had to withdraw, it is also understandable how criticism of Paul will likely continue, despite his wanting to be taken seriously as a boxer, regardless of what happens in this fight or in November, if the event with Tyson does take place.
“And That's The Boxing Truth."
Paul vs. Perry takes place on Saturday, July 20th at Amalie Arena In Tampa, FL. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View with free preliminary bouts beginning at 7PM ET/4PM PT followed by the pay-per-view card beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT for $64.99. For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to subscribe and order this pay-per-view event please visit: www.DAZN.com.
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