Mike Perry’s Only Boxing Match Prior to Jake Paul Fight Ended Badly

Jake Paul is set to put his mega-fight with Mike Tyson on the line when he takes on former UFC fighter Mike Perry later this month. A loss to ‘Platinum’ Perry would almost certainly scupper Paul’s planned bout with ‘Iron’ Mike on the 15th of November at AT&T Stadium.

However, Paul is prepared to roll the dice – and it may well be because he’s seen footage of Perry’s only professional boxing match to date. Since leaving the world’s leading MMA promotion in 2021, Perry has put together an impressive run in the world of bare-knuckle boxing, but his only traditional boxing bout could hardly have gone worse.

Perry tried his hand at the sweet science in March 2015. His debut did not go according to his plan as he was knocked out by Kenneth McNeil, who held a record of 6-1 at the time. The MMA fighter was floored by a massive overhand right before getting counted out on the canvas by the referee.

Mike Perry’s Professional Boxing Debut Was A Complete Disaster

‘Platinum’ was stopped inside four rounds

Perry, who is now 32 years old, has the chance to get back into the squared circle and exercise those demons from nine years ago. It will not be an easy task, though, as Paul has won nine out of his 10 professional bouts to date. For that reason, he is a strong favourite to win the fight.

The bout has been sanctioned at the cruiserweight limit of 200lbs, where Paul has fought all of his contests in the professional boxing ranks. In contrast, Perry has never competed at that weight, competing at 185 pounds as a bare-knuckle boxer and 170 pounds in the UFC prior to that. That size disparity has drawn criticism from a number of boxing insiders, including promoter Eddie Hearn, who believes Perry has “no chance” of defeating Paul.

“I’ve never seen Mike Perry fight,” Hearn said in an interview on The MMA Hour. “Isn’t he a welterweight or something? Two hundred pounds? He’s got absolutely no chance. Look, I don’t know Mike Perry, but I know apparently he’s a tough man. Obviously, he is a tough man, so I wish him all the best.”

In 2020, Paul switched from social media to boxing and despite having little in the way of an amateur background, he’s managed to make a name for himself in the sport. The biggest bout of his career awaits him in the form of Mike Tyson, but first he must turn back the challenge of Perry.

The 32-year-old may have looked all at sea during his sole boxing outing, but he’s currently on the best run of his career in combat sports, with his bare-knuckle victories over former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez standing out on his resume. His exploits in that arena may have gone somewhat under the radar, but if he can upset Paul on the 20th of July, Perry will make headlines all around the world.