Mike Perry Sparring Footage Emerges Ahead of Jake Paul Fight

The first footage from Mike Perry’s training camp ahead of his fight with Jake Paul has been released. ‘Platinum’ has stepped in to replace Mike Tyson after he pulled out of his much-anticipated fight with the social media star on the 20th of July in Tampa, Florida.

In the clip shared on Instagram by the former UFC fighter, Perry can be seen working on his striking game with his coach – and reaction to the footage has not been overwhelmingly positive. The 32-year-old has only ever fought once in a traditional boxing ring, losing his debut to Kenneth McNeil via a fourth-round knockout back in 2015. That lack of experience could come back to haunt him against the 9-1 Paul in their showdown next month.

Even for those who are Perry fans, the pace of the first piece of sparring video to be shared from his preparations won’t exactly inspire confidence. The bare-knuckle boxing star’s punches lacked any snap and almost looked to be thrown in slow motion.

The fight takes place in less than four weeks

It’s not a great sign for Perry that one of the most liked comments on the video is from a follower who predicted – based on the footage – that “he is going to get smashed” in the bout. The same reply also pointed out: “Those are not the punches of an experienced boxer. These MMA guys can’t punch properly.”

Naturally, the comments section of Perry’s Instagram post also attracted a number of Paul fans, who each took great delight in predicting the MMA fighter’s downfall.

“Jake inside two rounds,” wrote one supporter, while another mocked Perry for looking “slow and weak”. A third chimed in: “Jake is gonna sleep him so bad. Bro, [Perry] can’t even hit the pads properly.”

Some did attempt to defend Perry, pointing out that the training drill was likely to be focused more on endurance than technique, but if that is the case then it is a curious piece of footage to release to help promote a fight that carries a shockingly high pay-per-view price tag.

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Jake Paul and Mike Perry Have Sparred Previously

Paul and Perry do have history with one another, having previously sparred together in 2021. Footage of that session has resurfaced in the aftermath of Perry’s introduction of Mike Tyson’s replacement. The footage is brief and shows Perry backing Paul into a corner in the ring, but the now 27-year-old manages to avoid Perry’s flurry and regains central control of the squared circle.

“I already beat his a** in sparring and made him my son and he’s even admitting that,” declared Paul during a recent virtual face-off with Perry on The MMA Hour. “On July 20th, I’m going to show the world the sparring session live.”

Perry’s version of events was much different, of course, as he claimed that the YouTuber was ‘ducking and running the whole six rounds.’ During the interview, ‘Platinum’ was keen to remind ‘The Problem Child’ that their upcoming fight will mark one of the only times in his career that he will be facing an opponent in their athletic prime, although his vocabulary was much more explosive.

Paul clapped back, guaranteeing that Perry would become just another part of his highlight reel: “Everyone clip that once I beat his a** and then take this edit and then go to the clip of me knocking him the f**** out.”

Perry may have gone a middling 14-8 in his UFC run, but has enjoyed an excellent start to his bare-knuckle boxing career. He has won his first 5 fights in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, even becoming the inaugural King of Violence champion in the promotion’s history. It remains to be seen if he can translate his bare-knuckle form into the purest form of the sport, but the first indications aren’t promising.

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