Jake Paul has claimed that losing to Mike Perry Saturday night would cost him the highly anticipated fight against Mike Tyson.
Now, Paul says losing to Perry in their cruiserweight bout scheduled for eight rounds is “not possible.’’ But Tyson apparently is less confident.
“(Tyson) was concerned about me taking this fight,’’ Paul told reporters Wednesday. “He’s like, ‘What is Jake thinking? This guy Mike Perry is a killer.’ So he had some concerns.
“But Tyson, my message to you is don’t worry. I’m going to put this guy to sleep. This is a Mike appetizer and you’re next.’’
Paul was scheduled to fight Tyson on Saturday before Tyson withdrew after suffering an ulcer flare-up May 26. Their fight, to be broadcast by Netflix, was rescheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tyson resumed training two weeks ago and is expected to return to the boxing gym at the end of the month, according to his agent, Andrew Ruf.
Two Netflix publicists did not respond to emails seeking comment on if the fight would be impacted if Paul loses to Perry.
Ruf, Tyson’s agent, said there “certainly were a lot of conversations” about Paul fighting Perry but that ultimately the decision was made by Paul and his manager, Nakisa Bidarian.
“…Mike supports it 100 percent and we’ll see how it plays out,” Ruf said. “We’ll be watching very intently.’’
Perry, 32, has only one pro boxing match under his belt. He suffered a fourth-round knockout in 2015 against Kenneth McNeil.
But Perry, a former mixed martial arts fighter, is 5-0 as a bareknuckle fighter since making his debut with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship promotion in 2021. Perry’s last three victories have come by knockout.
Paul, 27, is 9-1 as a boxer with six knockouts and in each of his past two fights he’s won by first-round knockout.
“A lot of people think I’m crazy for pivoting to this,’’ Paul said after the fight was announced June 18. “Why Mike Perry, why now, why take the risk? You could lose the biggest payday of your life against Mike Tyson if you lose to Mike Perry, who is a violent killer, a bare-knuckle, undefeated legend over there.
“He takes punches like they’re nothing, he’s fast, athletic, he hits hard, he’s a brawler, and I can’t take that lightly. This whole thing is a risk, I’m focused on July 20, I’m focused on Mike Perry and being in that mindset will lead me to victory.’’
On Tuesday, Paul addressed similar issues during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Mike Perry’s not a joke and it is a big risk because if I lose this one, then obviously the Mike Tyson fight goes away,’’ Paul said. “So there’s a lot at stake here that is creating a bit of pressure to deal with. But I usually thrive the best under high-pressure situations, so we’ll see what happens.’’
But on Wednesday, after an open workout, Paul struck a different note when asked about how a loss to Perry would impact his scheduled fight against Tyson.
“It’s not going to happen, man,’’ he said. “It’s not possible, so I can’t even answer that question. I know I’m going to win with ease.’’
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Jake Paul still fighting Mike Tyson? Mike Perry result may matter
