Darren Till is not too keen on Mike Perry’s chances against Jake Paul after he announced his return to the ring yesterday evening.
Perry will face Paul in his first professional boxing match since 2015 amid an impressive six-fight winning run since leaving the UFC. He has become arguably the number one star in bare knuckle boxing, winning his last five with three by knockout as well as a Triad Combat fight.
But he faces a different kind of test against the considerably bigger Paul with gloves on for the first time since that Triad bout. The YouTuber-turned-boxer is 9-1 as a professional, and is already booked to face Mike Tyson on November 15.
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Jake Paul vs Mike Perry confirmed for summer grudge fight
Over three years after the pair sparred together in the lead-up to Jake Paul’s fight with Ben Askren, he and Mike Perry will finally settle their differences next month. Paul was due to face Tyson on July 20, and while that bout was rescheduled due to a medical issue he has pushed forward with another card.
The bout will take place over eight rounds in the cruiserweight division, meaning that Paul is likely to be considerably heavier than any of his rival’s BKFC opponents. It is the YouTube star’s return to facing former UFC athletes, although his bare knuckle background makes Perry an exciting opponent.
Back in 2021, they sparred for a few rounds, with the BKFC star infamously being caught on camera telling a then-novice Paul “Good job, you kicked my a**.” Since then, however, he has been calling for the fight and finally got his wish on short notice this summer.
Darren Till backs Jake Paul to beat Mike Perry in boxing grudge fight
Perhaps surprisingly, Perry’s greatest rival and sometimes friend Darren Till believes that he will not win against Paul when they face off next month. The pair have a comical ‘frenemy’ type of relationship, and have even sparred together in the past.
But Till isn’t too keen on Perry’s technical boxing ability, telling fans on X that he believes Paul will beat him when they fight. Responding to a meme account pleading for the ex-UFC welterweight to win, he claimed that he doesn’t have the skill to leave with a victory.
“Jake is going to beat Mike Perry,” Till wrote. “Mike is terrible. Good for blocking punches.” The Brit was due to fight on the Paul vs Tyson undercard against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, and believes himself to be a potential opponent for the American down the line.
Mike Perry called out Darren Till for bare knuckle boxing fight after last win
In his time away from the octagon, Perry has managed to make himself one of combat sport’s most in-demand names. But he has maintained his feud with Till, and after recently stopping Thiago Alves at KnuckleMania in Los Angeles he called the Brit out for a final showdown.
“Darren Till you fat f***ing b****,” Perry said in the immediate aftermath of his first round victory. “Get your a** over here or I’ll come to the UK!” He also called for a fight with Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal, who are fighting at the start of July in California.
At the post-fight press conference Perry explained his case further, telling the media: “I think that’s a fight that a lot of people have wanted for a long time, including me and him, and he’s talking big s***, he’s talking his s*** but he ain’t doing nothing.
“I’m talking s*** and I’m out here doing it. He’s saying he’s in the gym, or whatever, and he’s working with Khamzat [Chimaev], and he’s undefeated, but he’s over in the MMA world chasing that gold. But I’m better than gold. I am the gold over here, I’m above it, I’m ‘Platinum.’”