It’s Fight Week for Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry

By Matthew Benoliel

Boynton Beach, FL.  By now you’re all aware that international superstar Jake “El Gallo” Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) had to put his much anticipated bout with Iron Mike Tyson on hold. In the meantime, Paul has decided to take on perhaps his toughest opponent to date, Platinum Mike Perry, who holds a record of 0-1 in professional boxing with a loss going back to the year 2015, but has been absolutely terrorizing the ranks in bareknuckle boxing. Perry’s bareknuckle records stands at 6-0, 3 KO and he has quickly become the face of BKFC, with notable wins over Thiago Alves, Luke Rockhold, Julian Lane, Michael “Venum” Page, and Eddie Alvarez. 

Draft Kings currently has Jake at -340 to win, and Platinum Mike at +250, although the odds were a lot closer last week. The match will be contested at cruiserweight, with a 200 pound weight limit. While Perry has been fighting at 175-185, Jake reportedly blew up to 230 pounds for his anticipated fight in the heavyweight division against Mike Tyson. Paul presumably has been working hard to lose the extra pounds. 

For this fight, Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions return to the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, the site of Paul’s victory over Tyrone Woodley. It was a sold-out show that night, and Jake Paul delivered with a solid right hook that planted Woodley face down on the canvas. This time, he brings  with him MVP stars Ashton Sylve (11-0, 9 KOs) and Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs). 

Sylve, better known as H2O, has been with MVP since its inception, and has enjoyed a nice winning streak. He is currently ranked #32 by the WBC. H2O will have his hands full with Lucas Bahdi (16-0, 9 KOs) who currently ranks at #14 with the WBA and #12 with the IBF. This will be a good test for the highly-touted prospect.

Serrano has also been sidetracked on her way to a rematch with Katie Taylor, which was supposed to take place on this card. Now she faces Stevie Morgan (14-1, 13 KOs) who is coming off a six-win streak. The fight will be contested in 10 two-minute rounds, which is a break from the three minute rounds that Serrano has fought for. 

Also, highly ranked Shadisa Green (13-1-0, 11 KOs) will take on Natasha Spence (8-4-2, 6 KOs) in a light heavyweight contest. The two are very closely matched and this will sure to be a crowd pleaser. 

A rematch between two local lightweights, Tony Aguilar (12-0-1, 4 KOs) and Corey Marksman (9-0-1, 7 KOs) is sure to be closely contested as well. The two fought to a split decision draw this past February at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. This is a pivotal fight for each young man and a decisive victory by either one is sure to bring further opportunities to move up in one of boxing’s most exciting divisions.

And in case this card wasn’t packed enough, we will also see the return of former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (53-6-1, 34 KOs) a legend from a king’s lineage. Chavez Jr. will face MMA legend Uriah Hall, who has a pro boxing record of 1-0 and an MMA record of 18-11-0 against some of the biggest names in that sport. Hall will be the second retired MMA fighter challenged by Chavez, Jr. with the first being the great Anderson Silva in 2021. Silva won that one by split decision. 

Also returning to the MVP stage is Alexis Chaparro (1-0, 1 KO) of Ridgewood, NY. This talented 23 year-old had an outstanding amateur career, competing all the way up to the quarter finals in the Olympic Trials this past year. Chaparro balances his boxing career with a modeling career, a combination that could propel “The Real Chop Chop” to some lucrative endorsement deals in the future But first he must get past Kevin Hill (1-1) of St. Louis, Missouri. 

Rounding off the card will be a four round contest at light heavyweight matching undefeated Ariel Perez (3-0-0, 2 KOs) and Dane Guerro (0-0-1) of New Jersey. 

Most Valuable Promotions “Fear No Man” will stream live on DAZN. Tickets are available at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, home of three-time Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lightning. 

About MVP:

“MVP was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.”