Following his controversial callout of UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira off the back of his latest professional boxing win last weekend, Jake Paul has been backed to potentially cause a massive upset for the ages against the Brazilian, by Octagon veteran Kamaru Usman.
Paul, who scored his tenth professional boxing win over the course of last weekend in Tampa, landed knockdowns aplenty against former UFC welterweight contender, Mike Perry in ‘The Sunshine State; – en route to a blistering sixth round knockout win.
And in the immediate aftermath of his triumph, polarizing striker, Paul called for a fight with former duel-weight UFC champion, Pereira, claiming a matchup between the duo makes sense given their alleged similar stature.
I want everybody, I love this sport and he’s (Alex Pereira) tweeted about wanting to go into boxing,” Jake Paul said after his win over Mike Perry. “We got him on a Facetime right there in the ring and I said, ‘Yo, can you get out of your [UFC] contract?’”
“That’s too big of a risk if I can embarrass his (Dana White’s) number one praised fighter right now,” Jake Paul explained. “But I want all the smoke, I want all the MMA guys, and I’ve beaten all of them – who’s next? He’s the king right now of the UFC so I want him, I’m going to decapitate him and dethrone him.”
Jake Paul potentially beats Alex Pereira, per Kamaru Usman
And while Pereira appears to be receptive to a potential boxing move to take on Ohio native, Paul – many have labelled any potential pairing of the duo as a farce, however, the above-mentioned, Usman boldly claims a matchup is not a totally foregone conclusion in favor of the Brazilian.
“I do believe Alex Pereira can win that fight, but I don’t think it’s an unwinnable fight for Jake Paul,” Kamaru Usman said on his podcast. Jake Paul definitely showed some really good things there, being able to stick by the jab. When he was able to commit to the jab, the jab was working. Yes, I know Alex Pereira is very good at doing the thing that gave Mike Perry success in that fight, but Alex Pereira also holds his hands very low.
“Yes, he has a mean left hook, but he also holds his hands very low. That head moves when he’s slipping and ripping, but other than that, it’s not like it’s constantly moving. It’s not constantly doing what a boxer’s head movement should be doing. So, I’m not completely counting Jake Paul out.”
Who do you think wins a future boxing match: Jake Paul or Alex Pereira?