The former UFC fighter turned BKFC superstar is still finding lessons to be learned from his infamous 2021 sparring session with Jake Paul.
Whilst it’s far from the best boxing fight of the month, it’s difficult not to say that Jake ‘The Problem Child’ Paul versus ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry next weekend won’t be the most-watched event of July.
Millions of eyes around the world will be firmly fixed on Tampa, Florida, come Saturday evening and Mike Perry understands that one big combination could see him earn the biggest win of his entire combat sports career.
Mike Perry shared footage of sparring session with Jake Paul
Back when Jake Paul was only just starting his foray into the world of boxing, he chose to dive right into the deep end as he sparred veteran UFC fighter, Mike Perry.
It wasn’t long before footage of the sparring session made its way onto the internet, with Paul claiming that he got the better of Perry in the key exchanges and ‘Platinum’ in turn arguing that he walked through his best punches.
“I took your best shots and walked you down all day. We all know I’m not hard to hit but I’m gonna focus on that now. You know there was no danger in boxing a wrestler last night and you gave me a chance to punch you in the face (and I did),” wrote Perry on Instagram.
“You showed heart and you’re already successful and you seemed to have a strong team (power in numbers) but you’re a spoiled brat and I’m rich in life. You’re broke with a bunch of fake yes men around you that you pay for.”
Mike Perry draws on size and sparring combination ahead of Jake Paul boxing fight
Given that ‘Platinum’ is now entering the final stage of training camp ahead of Saturday’s long-awaited clash with Paul, it’s no surprise that he’s revisiting that sparring session as he studies what worked for him, and what didn’t.
It’s here that Perry identified something that, whilst seen as a potential weakness by fans, he believes could hold the victory; the size discrepancy between the two stars.
“Yeah absolutely [size will play a role],” he told MMAFighting, explaining how he’s doing everything that he can to bulk up to the 200lb weight limit, even less than a week out from stepping into the ring.
“I’m a slippery guy and being a little bit smaller, I’m rock hard, I’m eating three to four times a day, I’m taking supplements, I’m doing all the stuff I’m supposed to be doing and I’ve got up to 198/199lbs and I’m maintaining that.”
Jake Paul stands at 6’1” tall with a 76” reach, whilst Perry is 5’10” with a 71” reach.
‘The Problem Child’ has also been fighting around the 200lb mark for his most recent fights with ‘Platinum’ spending the vast majority of his career in the 175-185lbs range – yet Perry believes that this size gap will have some major benefits in the fight itself.
“I think [with] these big guys, I have a skill to be able to hit them with shots that find gaps and openings in their game and can hurt them,” he stated, before reminiscing on one key moment during their sparring that could pay dividends come Saturday evening in Florida.
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“I remember something from when I sparred Jake, in the first 20 seconds I came out because I had this good combination back then where I would throw a one-two and three to the body – and I caught him, boom, left hook to the liver.
“20 seconds in and he goes ‘Ugh, good shot, good body shot’ and I’m like ‘Right, okay then’. I lightened up a little bit and then boom, he hit me with some of those sniper shots from the outside.”
Perry admitted that it was tough not to give credit to the then-untested Paul, stating that he was unable to land that same body shot again through the remainder of their sparring as the YouTuber made some impressive adjustments.
“I wasn’t able to get that body shot in on him that day and I remember that… I understand that he’s going to be able to adjust to some things; he might start slow, he might get better as the fight goes on, he might try to carry his weight or put it on me. I expect him to have no choice but to run.
“I’m the smaller guy, I’ll cut the short angles, I’ll split side to side and take an angle around him – give him the ol’ reach around… I got some ideas on hitting the bigger guy with my smaller size, I’m fine-tuning the details with my coach, and I’ve still got four weeks for this so I’m ready.”
He ended the breakdown in typical Mike Perry fashion: “Come on bro, I’m ready for this – Platinum Pressure, Platinum Persona, Platinum lifestyle; I have been building to this [moment].”
Mike Perry vs Jake Paul goes down live from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on July 20 – live around the world exclusively on DAZN PPV.