Jake Paul now fights a different Mike, but it’s no less sad

THIS Saturday (July 20) Jake Paul returns to the boxing ring for an eight-round boxing match against a man called Mike whose boxing record currently stands at 0-1 and whose last and only boxing match took place some nine years ago.

Not only that, “Platinum” Mike Perry, better known for his mixed martial arts exploits, has lost seven of his last 10 fights in the cage and has, in recent years, found himself either scrapping without gloves in bareknuckle bouts or fighting allegations and lawsuits in his personal life. He is, in other words, the ideal opponent for Jake Paul’s 11th professional boxing match.

Still, for all his faults, spectacular and manifold, Mike Perry is a vast improvement on the other opponent named Mike who was originally scheduled to box Paul on this July date. That Mike was Mike Tyson, of course, all 58 years of him, and the only thing that ruins the relief of knowing Tyson will now not appear in a boxing ring this weekend is the knowledge that he will instead be fighting Paul on a rearranged date in December.

That decision, as cruel as it is inevitable, left Paul in need of an opponent for his fight at Amalie Arena, Tampa this Saturday. It also in turn created an opportunity for Mike Perry.

“When Paul vs. Tyson was rescheduled, I knew immediately that I wanted to still fight on July 20,” said Paul, 9-1 (6). “Now, as I prepare for my fight against ‘Iron’ Mike, there’s no better opponent for me than Mike Perry. He’s a proven knockout artist who has shown to be a maniac in and out of the ring. This is the perfect experience for me to gain in advance of facing Mike Tyson. But getting that experience comes with risk. Those who know me know I’m a risk taker and while ‘Platinum’ Perry might try to end me, I’m ‘Titanium’ Jake Paul and I fear no man. I’m going to get the ‘W’ and give everyone a preview of what I’m bringing to the ring against Mike Tyson. Tune in on DAZN PPV as I return to Tampa and send ‘Platinum’ Perry the Platypus back to bareknuckle for good.”

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight at the American Airlines Center on August 5, 2023 in Dallas, Texas (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Sounding more like a pro wrestling sell than anything to do with boxing, the notion that Mike Perry, in Jake Paul’s mind, should be celebrated or financially rewarded for having “shown to be a maniac in and out of the ring” is maybe the only remotely interesting thing he has said in the lead up to this fight. By interesting, of course, what I mean is disturbing; although by revealing to the world how much he values the selling power of a “maniac” we perhaps get a far better sense as to why Jake Paul remains insistent on fighting Mike Tyson later this year.

Maniacs sell, after all. They always have done. We fear them but also want to watch them and so long as there is a safe distance between us and them this will forever remain the case. In fighting terms, this is no less true, and Paul surely knows that by chasing fighters with a certain infamy he can potentially revive some of the interest his fledgling pro boxing career has in recent times lost.

In Perry, for example, he has a wild man whose exploits in MMA have attracted a particular kind of fan base. Even better, he has a man in Perry who, despite his toughness, has minimal boxing experience and therefore will represent a continuation of the theme which has been consistent throughout Jake Paul’s pro boxing adventure.

“Jake Paul claims he fears no man, but on Saturday, the world will see the truth,” said Perry, whose one pro boxing match to date ended with him being stopped in four rounds by someone called Kenneth McNeil. “He just made the worst mistake of his life in trying to get through me before ‘Iron’ Mike. I’m going to make it look easy and I’m going to teach Jake Paul the most he’s ever learned about fighting.”

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson

As for Mike Tyson, well, he carries a brand of infamy like no other athlete in the world. Moreover, while “Iron” Mike easily represents without doubt the most decorated boxer with whom Jake Paul will have ever crossed paths, it is pertinent to remember – I mean, how can anyone forget? – that Tyson has not set foot in a boxing ring for some 19 years. Not just that, the last time Tyson did, back when losing to Kevin McBride in six rounds, he was a sad, bloated, battered and drugged-up version of his old self; no more than the latest example of an athlete whose greed and ego was prolonging both their delusion and their pain.

Now, at 58, the best you can say about Tyson is that he appears to have mellowed. That, for the human being, is no doubt a good thing, regardless of the extent to which it is the by-product of substances and/or the breaking down of his body. Yet, as far as the competitor goes, the idea of Mike Tyson becoming mellow, or indeed both slowing and breaking down, can only be seen as something troubling and counterproductive. Or, in the world of Jake Paul, the ideal grounds on which to box Mike Tyson in 2024.