Despite Age Gap, Mike Perry Is Bigger Underdog To Jake Paul Than Mike Tyson


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Former YouTuber and Disney actor Jake Paul steps back into the boxing ring on Saturday, but his opponent won’t be former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, as originally planned.

Instead, Paul selected former UFC fighter and current bare-knuckle boxer Mike Perry as a replacement opponent at Amalie Arena in Tampa on July 20, and the difference in the betting odds is stark but somewhat surprising.

While Tyson opened at around +200 at several online sportsbooks, he moved as low as +170 at times. This was despite the fact that Tyson is 58 years old and has not fought since an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.

Perry, 32, has gone 5-0 in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships following a five-year stint in the UFC. Still, Paul opened as a much bigger favorite over Perry, who is currently as high as +300 to win on some sports betting sites.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry odds

Jake Paul -425
Mike Perry +300

Paul enters this bout with a 9-1 record as a professional, having suffered his only loss via split decision in a fight with Tommy Fury last year. His career thus far has largely been built on wins over former MMA fighters who were mostly past their primes or out of their depth boxing, in which few had any prior experience.

This fight was a backup option shortly after health concerns forced Tyson to pull out of the July 20 Netflix bout. Perry had been lobbying for a fight with Paul for some time, and his profile had grown due to his success as a bare-knuckle boxer after exiting the UFC.

Compared to the other former UFC fighters Paul has faced, Perry has much more experience as a boxer. He fought one professional boxing match before signing with the UFC, losing via fourth-round knockout. In BKFC, he’s earned a string of wins over other former MMA fighters, including stoppage victories over two former UFC champs.

Paul will likely have size on his side.

Perry will be giving up about 3 inches in height, and he fought most of his career between 170 pounds and 185 pounds. Paul, meanwhile, has typically weighed in closer to the 200-pound limit for the cruiserweight division and had previously outlined a plan to bulk up to 240 pounds when he was slated to fight Tyson. This fight will take place at cruiserweight.

Does the fight with Perry put Paul’s bout with Tyson in jeopardy?

Almost as soon as this fight against Perry was announced, many wondered what it would mean for Paul’s plan to rebook the bout against Tyson. According to both Paul and Tyson, that fight will likely still take place later this year.

That assumes Tyson is medically cleared to fight and receives a clean bill of health. It also assumes that Netflix or others are still interested, which could potentially be jeopardized by this fight if Paul were to lose to Perry.

Paul has been open about that possibility in the lead-up to Saturday’s fight. At Thursday’s pre-fight news conference, he admitted that even Tyson had expressed concerns about him taking the fight against Perry.

“Mike Tyson called and was concerned about this fight jeopardizing the biggest fight of my career,” Paul said. “That’s what puts the pressure on me, and I love that. I’m not slowing down for anybody. Mike Perry is not going to be the one to stop me. I’m on a path to (a) world championship. I’m not slowing down for anybody.”

A loss to Perry would be a significant upset and could potentially hurt Paul’s career prospects in the eyes of streaming partners like Netflix and alter Tyson vs. Paul odds. Such a win would be big news for Perry, however, who is currently relatively unknown outside of the MMA and bare-knuckle bubble.

How to watch Paul vs. Perry

Photo by Esther Lin/MVP