Jake Paul had to change up more than just opponents ahead of his most recent boxing match in Tampa, Florida this past weekend (July 20, 2024).
“The Solution Child’s” return to action was always anticipated to be on that date. Paul was first matched with all-time great boxing legend, Mike Tyson. That was until a health scare complicated things for the 58-year-old Tyson and removed him from the match. It has since been postponed until November 2024.
Instead, Paul was tasked with a different Mike, in the form of “Platinum” Mike Perry. Scheduled for 200 pounds on relatively short notice, especially compared to the Tyson build up, Paul was a bit heavier than normal.
“Jake had got up to around 238 pounds and we’re looking at five weeks,” Paul’s coach, Larry Wade, told Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). “I asked him, ‘What weight class?’ He was like, ‘200.’ So, we had to lose 38 pounds in five weeks.”
The size difference between Paul and the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight has been a big talking point after the match. Ultimately, Paul weathered the storm brought to him by the bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) superstar to earn a sixth round technical knockout victory (watch highlights).
After his 10th career win (10-1), Paul called out UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, in an attempt to immediately silence critics of his fighting undersized opposition. Unfortunately for Paul (fortunately in reality), we all know a Pereira clash will never happen.