By Ian S Palmer
Original article; https://www.sportsbetlistings.com/boxing/jake-paul-vs-mike-perry-betting-odds-and-prediction/23994/
Jake Paul of Cleveland, Ohio will be back in the ring this Saturday, July 20th when he takes on Mike Perry of Flint, Michigan. The eight-round cruiserweight battle from Tampa Bay, Florida can be seen live on DAZN pay-per-view in most nations. Paul last fought in March when he stopped pro boxer Ryan Bourland in just 157 seconds. Perry has had just one pro boxing match and that came back in 2015 when he was stopped by Kenneth McNeil in the fourth round of a four-round bout.
The 27-year-old Paul enters the ring with a mark of 9-1 with 6 KO’s and has boxed 46 rounds since making his pro boxing debut in 2020. He stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 76-inch reach and has decent power in his fists as 66.7 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but he’s gone the distance in three of his past five fights. He also possesses decent boxing skills for somebody who made his name on You Tube and appears to be taking take the sport somewhat seriously. As for his list of opponents so far, most of them have fighting backgrounds at least.
He’s taken on Ali Eson Gib, former NBA player Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, Tyrone Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva, Tommy Fury, Nate Diaz, Andre August and Ryan Bourland. He stopped Gib in the first round, Robinson in the second round, Askren in the first round and Woodley in the sixth round of their rematch after fighting to an eight-round split decision win in their first meeting. He then beat Silva by eight-round unanimous decision after dropping him in the final round and was beaten by a mediocre boxer in Tommy Fury. Paul then bounced back with his wins over Diaz, August and Bourland, stopping the last two in the first round.
The 32-year-old Perry measures 5-feet-10 inches with a 71-inch reach so gives up three inches in height and five inches in reach to Paul. Perry is best known for his exploits as a bare knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. He competed in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) as well as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Perry started training boxing at age 11 and then became a UFC trainer after serving a jail term for burglary. That then led to his fighting career.
In pro mixed martial arts his record is 14-8 with 11 Ko’s and he’s been stopped once. He made his UFC debut back in 2016 and started his bare knuckle boxing career in October, 2021 and was named the 2023 BKFC Male Fighter of the Year. Perry is 5-0 in bare knuckle boxing with 3 Ko’s. He’s fighting Paul as Paul’s proposed fight with former world boxing champion Mike Tyson was postponed for a few months.
Prediction…
Perry is five years older than Paul and has fought just once as a pro boxer, but did spar with Paul in 2021. However, he is involved in combat sports and I guess that’s what counts here. Paul has some potential as a boxer due to his age and willingness to learn but he needs to step up the level of competition if he hopes to improve and succeed. He has the skills and power to get past the smaller Perry and should add another win to his record as long as he continues to display a solid chin.
