Mike Perry has made no secret of his desire to box Jake Paul. But not until 2023 did he claim that desire materialized into a contract.
Perry posted what he claimed to be a bout agreement to box Paul up to eight three-minute rounds at an event on Feb. 18, 2023 (or another date Paul’s promoter chose). He called out the YouTuber turned boxer for backing out of their fight.
“I signed a contract to fight [Jake Paul] but he changed his mind,” Perry wrote on Twitter.
I signed a contract to fight @jakepaul but he changed his mind
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) January 3, 2023
Wya @jakepaul pic.twitter.com/ecNSkD7lva
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) January 4, 2023
Paul’s promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions acknowledged a request to comment, but didn’t immediately reply when MMA Fighting contacted them. Perry could not independently confirm the authenticity of his alleged contract and did not reply to an inquiry through BKFC.
Perry’s relationship with Paul stretches back to the influencer/boxer’s nascent career in combat sports. Prepping for a fight with Ben Askren, Paul and his team contracted Perry to be a sparring partner for $100 per round. Perry later released the video in which he said “you kicked mine ass Jake”. Perry did not like this move and called Perry out several times during interviews to show that he had been taken advantage of.
Later, Perry softened his stance toward Paul and targeted the YouTuber’s sparring partner, middleweight boxer J’Leon Love. After defeating Michael Page, Bellator’s welterweight champion, Perry called for Paul to fight in the ring.
Paul this past November said his next fight would take place in February, and offers had been extended to three potential opponents. He did not mention their names, but openly welcomed a fight with UFC star Nate Diaz, who became a free agent around the same time as he began scouting opponents. Diaz and Paul’s team clashed backstage at Paul’s previous boxing match, a meeting with ex-UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva that ended in a unanimous decision win.
Perry fought in the UFC for five years, delivering several exciting and bloody battles before a skid prompted him to request his release from contract. After signing with BKFC, he won victories over Page and Julian Lane.
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin contributed to this report.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/3/23538102/mike-perry-posts-alleged-contract-to-box-jake-paul-in-february?rand=96749
