Jake Paulo said at the beginning of his fight against Mike Perry few months before a fight scheduled with Mike Tyson it could be a bad decision.
Of course, “could prove” is the operative term here, and Paul no doubt plans to walk away from his Saturday fight with Perry as the winner in Tampa, Florida (DAZN pay-per-view). But he once again had to acknowledge that if something goes wrong, his fight with Tyson, which is expected to be a blockbuster live on Netflix on November 15, could be scrapped.
“November. 15, Tyson is still active – Dallas, Texas. Get over it – (I’m) focused on this,” Paul said in “The Pat McAfee Show” about having double booking. “Mike Perry is no joke and it’s a big risk because if I lose this, obviously the fight with Mike Tyson is over. So there’s a lot at stake here, and it’s creating a little bit of pressure to deal with it. But I generally thrive best in high-pressure situations.”
Tyson had to postpone his fight with Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas after the boxing legend suffered an ulcer flare-up.
So Paul, who is coming off back-to-back first-round knockouts of Andre August in December and then Ryan Bourland in March, booked the fight with Perry. Perry, a former UFC slugger, recently found stardom at BKFC. Perry was knocked out in his only professional boxing fight, but has only been knocked out once in 22 professional MMA fights.
“Why Mike Perry? Because now? Why not just wait? And Mike Tyson? Yes, I’m still fighting Mike Tyson on November 15th,” Paul said in his Youtube channel when he announced the fight. “However, Mike Tyson is one of the baddest men on the planet, he has a lot more experience than me, he is a killer, so why not gain more experience against another notorious known killer, Mike Perry? The legend of the bare fist, the man who cannot be knocked out, the cruel and violent fighter.
“This guy is a lunatic. He’s undefeated in wrestling, 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 amazing press conference moments and really fun things that come from it, but it’s a big risk. I’m literally sacrificing the biggest moment of my career, the biggest payday of my career if I lose to Mike Perry. But for some reason, those are the positions I like to put myself in.”
