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Jake Paul proved to be a real problem for Mike Perry, beating the bare-knuckle boxing star via sixth-round TKO in a cruiserweight boxing match from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
DAZN Boxing @DAZNBoxing
IT’S ALL OVER!! 🥊💣#PaulPerry pic.twitter.com/O7hARTbg1J
It didn’t take long for Paul to make an impact. Paul dropped Perry with an overhand right less than halfway through the first round.
DAZN Boxing @DAZNBoxing
DOWN GOES PERRY 🤯#PaulPerry | July 20 | Live on DAZN: Click link in bio to buy pic.twitter.com/lFtI6D7dKJ
The same punch put Perry on the mat again in the second round. While Paul was having success, it wasn’t as though Perry was putting up much of a fight.
Claressa Gwoat Shields @Claressashields
Man Mike Perry hands just down under the chin, like what in the world ! But he landed some hard shots this rd 🙂
Lou DiBella🥊 @loudibella
Deja Vu
Guy fighting Jake is objectively atrocious. #boxing https://t.co/Ka6ITbqogY
Others were impressed with Perry’s toughness as he absorbed plenty of punishment and kept coming forward.
Dan Rafael @DanRafael1
Rd 3: Perry 10-9. Perry tough as hell. Jake cut over left eye. #boxing #PaulPerry
Still, there were others who were willing to give Paul credit for outclassing Perry at every turn. His boxing skills still have a long way to go, but he was much sharper than his opponent.
Mikaela Mayer @MikaelaMayer1
If anything, Jake Paul has solidified the fact that although MMA fighters train boxing, they do not truly know boxing. #PaulPerry #boxing #mma
Good work tonight @jakepaul 🔥
Paul put the cherry on top of his performance with another knockdown in the sixth round that drew the TKO finish.
Of course, this wasn’t quite the moment Paul was hoping for just over a month ago. The YouTuber-turned-boxer was originally set to take on boxing legend Mike Tyson on this date, but Tyson was forced to postpone the match on the advice of medical experts after an ulcer flare-up.
Paul is now set to take on Tyson on November 15. Taking on Perry was a risk. He is on a 5-0 run in bare-knuckle boxing after going 14-8 in MMA. Tyson expressed some concerns since a loss to Perry would damage the momentum of the November Tyson-Paul matchup, but Paul was confident he would take care of business.
“He has some concerns but Tyson. My message to you is don’t worry, I’m going to put this guy to sleep. This guy is a Mike appetizer and then you’re next,” Paul told reporters leading into the bout.
This is another win for Paul that is going to increase the hype and scrutiny around the influencer. On one hand, Perry has been successful in bare-knuckle boxing. The fact that Paul was willing to fight him is the kind of risk-taking that fans love.
On the other, bare-knuckle boxing is a whole different ball game than traditional boxing and Perry weighed in at just 189 pounds in his last bout where this was fought at 200.
Either way, Paul is taking a full head of steam into November’s blockbuster.