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| Photos by Esther Lin, MVP Promotions |
Jake Paul scored a sixth-round TKO victory over bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, in an eight-round cruiserweight boxing match.
With the win, Paul maintained his Nov. 15 showdown with the 58-year-old Mike Tyson that was originally scheduled for this night. Paul, a social-media star turned boxer, floored Perry three times before the referee halted the bout at 1:12 of Round 6.
"He's tough as nails ... but I just hit too hard and he took a lot of damage," Paul said. "Mike Tyson, you're next. ... It's anyone, anytime, anyplace."
Paul, who was a -475 favorite, as per ESPN BET, said he was sick leading up to the fight and that his knuckle was "basically broken."
Perry, 32, is the latest former UFC fighter to fall to Paul. Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) also defeated Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz and Ben Askren. Paul, 27, was noticeably bigger and enjoyed a three-inch height advantage. Perry (0-2) of Orlando, Florida, fights at 175 pounds in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
Paul, of Cleveland, scored a flash knockdown in the opening round with a chopping right hand. He controlled the action from range with his superior jab and footwork.
A jab set up a right hand that dropped Perry 30 seconds into Round 2. Perry rebounded with a strong Round 3 and opened up a cut over Paul's left eye. But by Round 4, it was Paul who once again dominated the exchanges. He rocked Perry into the ropes with combinations on several more occasions before the finishing sequence.
"You did a great job, you were way too fast for me and I couldn't adjust," Perry said. " ... He's not sitting there waiting to be hit like me."
Perry's lone previous boxing match was a fourth-round KO loss to journeyman Kenneth McNeil in May 2015. Perry made his UFC debut one year later. His MMA record is 14-8. All eight of his defeats took place in the UFC (he had 14 fights total in the Octagon and never challenged for the title.)
Perry's BKFC record is 5-0 and his last fight was in April.
Paul, meanwhile, will move onto an eight-round heavyweight bout with Tyson on Nov. 15 in Arlington, Texas, where they'll wear 14-ounce gloves.
Tyson withdrew from the marquee event -- it will be streamed on Netflix -- after he suffered an ulcer flare-up on a flight in May.
Saturday's win was Paul's second fight of 2024. He scored a first-round KO of journeyman Ryan Bourland in March in Puerto Rico.
"In two years I will be the cruiserweight champion of the f---ing world," Paul said. "I'm way sharper, cleaner. I think he hit me with like one shot tonight. ... It's back to the drawing board and I'm going to just keep getting better."
Serrano scores TKO 2, moves onto Taylor rematch
Amanda Serrano scored a second-round TKO victory vs. the overmatched Stevie Morgan in the junior welterweight co-feature to set up a Nov. 15 rematch with Katie Taylor.
Serrano, a former seven-division champion, landed at will against Morgan, who was fighting on the top level for the first time. Puerto Rico's Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs) stunned Tampa's Morgan (14-2, 13 KOs) on several occasions and teed off on her fellow 35-year-old until the referee stepped in.
"I think these girls mistake my kindness for weakness," said Serrano, ESPN's No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer. " ... If you not on my level, that's what happens. ... I know she didn't have the experience, I know this might have been a little too much for her."
Serrano was fighting for the first time since October, when she outpointed Danila Ramos. Serrano suffered an allergic eye reaction to hair braiding gel that scrapped her Puerto Rico homecoming main event in March.
Serrano now moves onto the rematch with Taylor for the undisputed junior welterweight championship. They met in April 2022 at New York's Madison Square Garden in the biggest fight in women's boxing history.
Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) won that fight by split decision to retain the undisputed lightweight championship. The rematch was originally scheduled for May 2023 in Dublin before Serrano suffered an injury.
Taylor, a 35-year-old Irishwoman, is ESPN's No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer.
"Can't wait to go in there with you once again," Serrano said. " ... This time it's going to be a lot different."
- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
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