YouTube pugilist Jake Paul might want to rethink his plans to take on UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the boxing ring.
Paul, who is expected to fight the 58-year-old former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson in the ring in a couple of months time, has more recently affixed his crosshairs to Pereira — a fighter who has emerged as one of the UFC’s biggest stars since his debut with the organisation less than three years ago.
During this brief tenure, Pereira has made a huge imprint in the sport by winning world titles in two separate weight classes (middleweight and light heavyweight), while also headlining Madison Square Garden twice and taking top billing at April’s bumper UFC 300 card in Las Vegas.
Paul, who is 10-1 as a boxer, called out Pereira following his recent win in the ring against Mike Perry, saying afterwards: “I want you Alex Pereria. I just beat a BKFC champion, I’ve beat multiple UFC champions and he said he wants to box so Alex Pereria, after Mike Tyson lets make it happen.
“I want everybody. I love this sport and he’s tweeted about wanting to go into boxing. We got him on FaceTme in the ring and I said, ‘Yo, can you get out of your contract?’. If he can get out of his contract then let’s run it. When I asked him, he paused and looked at his manager.
Alex Pereira’s amateur boxing highlights are absolutely terrifying 😳 pic.twitter.com/4qLCiti5zt
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 11, 2024
“These guys are not their own bosses. I want all the smoke but at the end of the day, will Dana let him out? That’s too big of a risk, if I can beat his No.1 fighter right now I want all the smoke and I want all the MMA guys. He’s the king of the UFC so I want him. I’m going to decapitate him and dethrone him.”
As Paul mentioned, the chances of him actually fighting Pereira are slim at best given his contractual situation with the UFC, along with Dana White’s general opposition to cross-promotional events.
But should the fight become a reality, Paul may find himself out of his depth — at least judging by footage of his amateur boxing background which has recently found its way online — and which sits well with his two-division champion status in the kickboxing arena.
It’s night night when you eat that left hook 😴 pic.twitter.com/3NoqGZrzb7
— Talking Lizard 🦎 (@Lizard69Talking) September 11, 2024
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