Jake Paul was supposed to fight Mike Tyson on July 20 but the fight was postponed to November 15 due to a medical issue with Tyson. But Paul didn't want to wait that long to fight so he booked a match with former UFC fighter turned BKFC champion Mike Perry.
Many had wondered if taking a fight between now and the Tyson fight was a good idea. What if he gets injured or worse, what if he loses and takes the shine from the Tyson match-up? Those are all things Paul says he's thought about, but the risk is worth the reward.
“Why Mike Perry? Why now? Why not just wait? What about Mike Tyson? Yes, I am still fighting Mike Tyson Nov. 15,” Paul said on his YouTube channel.
“However, Mike Tyson is one of the baddest men on this planet, he has way more experience than me, he’s a killer, and so why not gain more experience against another notorious known killer, Mike Perry? The bare-knuckle legend, the man that can’t be knocked out, the vicious, violent, brawler."
He continued: “This guy is a f*cking lunatic. He’s undefeated in bare-knuckle, which is probably the craziest sport in the world.
"Not to mention, this fight has been brewing for years. …I think this fight is going to have some amazing press conference moments and really entertaining stuff that comes from it, but it is a major risk.
"I’m literally potentially sacrificing the biggest moment of my career, the biggest payday of my career if I lose to Mike Perry. But for some reason, these are the positions that I like to put myself in.”
Paul is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts but under bare-knuckle rules. He has no wins in traditional boxing.
The fight takes place live on DAZN on July 20.
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