There's a lot of belly-aching about Jake Paul, mostly coming from traditionalists who don't appreciate how a social media influencer has so quickly become a serious player in boxing, or from fighters who are jealous of the success he's had and the money he earns.
He's out-earning about 98 percent of all fighters and facing vastly less experienced and talented boxers than those who make more than he does.
Paul promotes his fights and makes his events fun. He doesn't mumble platitudes about being happy to be there and respecting his opponent. He'll fight BKFC star Mike Perry, a former UFC fighter, in the headliner of a pay-per-view card on PPV.com and DAZN on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Thursday's news conference had the potential to be as dull as watching paint dry. There were 10 fighters on stage, and it could have easily turned into a cliche-fest. However, Paul and Perry saved the day, with a little assist from superstar Conor McGregor.
McGregor attended a BKFC news conference earlier Thursday in Marbella, Spain. While hyping the company, he mentioned Perry.
"Look at what has happened to Michael Perry, one of our big stars here, the 'King of Violence' he titles himself," McGregor said. "He’s had such a rise in the sport, [and] now he’s up against a little dweeb of a thing in a fight this weekend that we’re all rooting for him."
Paul was asked about it when his news conference began, and he didn't disappoint. He was ready for the question and delivered an answer that brought more heat to the promotion.
It's not by itself going to sell tickets or pay-per-views, but it keeps the promotion and Paul himself in the news, and that's a boost.
"Well, first of all, he's big up in BKFC," Paul said of McGregor. "But you're going to see what I'm going to do to their best fighter on Saturday night. I'm going to embarrass their entire league. This guy [Perry] has no skill. Those [BKFC fighters] are just brawler idiot street fighter dudes who have no idea what the sweet science is. Conor McGregor can say what he wants, but he won't fight me, either.
"Once I knock out Mike Perry, Conor McGregor, let's run it. But you won't do it because you know what's going to happen. You saw what I did to Nate Diaz, who you went toe-to-toe with. Conor McGregor, lay off the cocaine, get in the gym, and start winning fights. Then maybe we could have a conversation."
Esther Lin
Jake Paul works out for the media Wednesday prior to his bout Saturday in Tampa, Fla., with Mike Perry.
Paul conveniently forgets that McGregor is 30 pounds lighter than he is and has less experience as a boxer. Then again, that's why so many boxing fans are infuriated by Paul. He fights smaller opponents who haven't boxed and acts as if he's the second coming of Joe Louis.
Joe Louis he's not, though he's better than most give him credit for being. It takes a good athlete to deal with these UFC fighters he's beaten in boxing. He has to be in impeccable condition to fight them and, credit where it's due, he always has been.
While guys like Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, and Ben Askren aren't boxers, they've competed on the big stage in world-class events against other elite athletes and shown they can perform. There aren't a lot of tough guys sitting in the crowd who can do that.
Perry is 32, and only Ali Eson Gib and Tommy Fury, who were 24 at the time, were younger among Paul's opponents. Gib is a social media star who was Paul's first opponent, on January 30, 2020. Fury is the half-brother of former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Tommy Fury handed Paul his only defeat in Saudi Arabia on February 26, 2023.
Perry is 0-1 as a boxer and isn't regarded as a serious threat by oddsmakers, who have made Paul a 4-1 favorite. But Perry can talk the talk, and if nothing else, he'll come to fight and make Paul work for it.
He's also helped create attention for the show. On Wednesday, at an open workout, one of Paul's mascots made an 'L' with his fingers in Perry's direction. Perry went over and folded the guy in half with a body shot. At the news conference, Paul said he'd make Perry pay but also thanked Perry for promoting his brand.
Still, he showed disdain for Perry's talent.
"The skills are what pay the bills," he said, swiping one of Floyd Mayweather's best lines. "And he has no footwork, no head movement, no defense. He's a great offensive fighter in bare knuckle, but in terms of boxing, he's going to get picked apart very quickly, and it's going to be a short night. Like I said, my predictions are never wrong, so I stand on business every single time I manifested it into reality. I, Jake Joseph Paul, will knock out Mike Perry in less than two rounds. It's going to happen. Put money on it."
Perry vowed to pressure Paul in the first and tire him out. Paul laughed it off and said his own skillset has vastly improved. He said he's taking the fight despite a planned November 15 bout with former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson because of Perry's popularity.
He wanted to stay busy and not be out of the ring for eight months when he fought Tyson. So as he looked for an opponent, Perry made sense.
"This came about because he has a crazy fan base," Paul said. "And anytime I would post an Instagram picture over the last, like, 18 months, one of the top comments would always be 'Fight Mike Perry. Fight Mike Perry. You're scared of Mike Perry.' I love to prove people wrong and take the fights that no one thinks I'm going to take."
Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions
Mike Perry is the BKFC middleweight champion.