TAMPA, FL – July 18, 2024 – MVP’s Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) and the King of Violence, “Platinum” Mike Perry came face to face for the first time at a press conference held at the Amalie Arena ahead of their bout this Saturday, July 20. Paul vs. Perry, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, is set for an eight-round cruiserweight bout and will be shown live globally on DAZN pay-per-view from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
In the highly anticipated co-main event, boxing trailblazer and unified featherweight world champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) will face top-10 ranked IBF, WBO, and WBA talent and KO artist, Stevie “Sledgehammer” Morgan (14-1, 13 KOs) in a 10×2 super lightweight fight. Amanda will test her power and endurance at super lightweight ahead of her clash with Katie Taylor later this year.
MVP’s undefeated phenom and top lightweight prospect H2O Sylve (11-0, 9 KOs) will put his undefeated record on the line yet again against top IBF and WBA ranked prospect Lucas “Prince” Bahdi (16-0, 14 KOs) in a 10 round lightweight bout. Also on the card, Mexican cruiserweight and former WBC world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (53-6-1, 34 KOs) returns against Uriah Hall (1-0 Boxing, 18-11, 14 KOs UFC) at cruiserweight and Crescent City, Florida’s Tony Aguilar (12-0-1, 4 KOs) vs. Orlando, Florida’s Corey “2Smoove” Marksman (9-0-1, 7 KOs) in an 8-round lightweight bout, a rematch of their split draw in February 2024 on Most Valuable Prospects 5.
In today’s press conference hosted by renowned combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, Paul, Perry, Serrano, Morgan, Sylve, Bahdi, Chavez Jr., Hall, Aguilar and Marksmen had plenty to say about the upcoming event:
JAKE PAUL QUOTES:
On whether he watched any footage of Perry: He had a boxing match in a triangle that I gained a lot of knowledge from. Lot of openings. It’s gonna be a short night Ariel.
On what he has to look out for in Perry’s skillset: The skills is what pay the bills. And he has no footwork, no head movement, no defense. He’s a great offensive fighter and 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 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.
On what the rationale was to take the fight and the difference between Tyson and Perry: To stay getting experience under the bright lights on my world, on my path to World Championship. And that’s what matters, is getting the experience under the bright lights. And this is a Mike appetizer. Mike warm up, but they’re both killers at the end of the day, and I do have to be sharp. He does have one punch knockout power that I do have to respect. But other than that, it’s going to be easy.
On Conor McGregor telling press that Perry was fighting a ‘dweeb’ in Jake Paul: Well, first of all, he’s big up in BKFC, 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 has no skill; those 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.
On why he chose to take a dangerous fight despite Mike Tyson’s concerns: This is what I do. I’m here to fight. I love to take risks and do big events. Mike Tyson called and was concerned about this fight jeopardizing the biggest fight of my career. That’s what puts the pressure on me, and I love that. I’m not slowing down for anybody. Mike Perry is not going to be the one to stop me. I’m on a path to World Championship. I’m not slowing down for anybody.
On what his biggest concern with the fight is: He’s unorthodox. That’s about it. So the first 30 seconds to a minute, just find my timing in range. That’s then the fight’s over. That’s really about it.
On whether he’ll fight Perry in MMA: Yes, let’s go after this. After I knock him out on Saturday, let’s sign the contract for some MMA. I’ll choke you out too.
On the decision to choose Perry as the opponent: This came about because he has a crazy fan base. 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, and so I love to prove people wrong and take the fights that no one thinks I’m going to take.
On how his skill has improved: This past year has been a different Jake Paul showing up into the gym, learning in the gym, and I really haven’t been able to display my skills because of the first round knockouts, and likely that’ll happen again on Saturday, but I really have so many tools in the shed that I’m ready to pull out and get warmed up as the rounds go on, and just display all the new things we’ve Been working on.
On coming back to Tampa: There’s magic in this place. I love fighting in Florida and Tampa. The energy when I knocked out Woodley was amazing, one of the best moments of my life. I wanted to come back for another highlight reel KO.
Mike Perry Quotes:
On whether he has to get the win for not only himself but for the MMA community: I’m doing it for everybody, for me, for the fans, for BKFC, for MMA, you know, just mainly for me, because I believe in myself and my boxing ability. I’m a brawling boxing mug, so I’m ready to get in the ring with Jake and have some fun.
On how he has evolved since his last professional fight: I’ve been winning since then. There’s all I know. I’ve been victorious. I’ve been succeeding consistently, and I’ve been getting better every single day. Put this little twerp in his place. He’s new to this game. Welcome. Welcome. You just got here.
In response to Paul saying Perry has no boxing experience: Don’t worry, you’re going to get what you’ve been asking for, the fight to go longer than one round. Imma give you hell in the first round, and you’ll get tired. You’re going to be grasping for air. I made a new word, grasping.
On what makes him different from Diaz and other MMA fighters who Paul has fought: This is my chance to show the world what a real fighter can do in boxing. Those other guys were long past their prime.
Amanda Serrano Quotes:
On the trash talk from Stevie Morgan: Listen, I don’t pay attention to that. That doesn’t win fights, that doesn’t pay my bills. I go out, I train hard, I fight hard, and you’ll see Saturday night.
On if she is looking past Morgan with the Katie Taylor fight coming up: This is my 50th fight and I’ve never overlooked an opponent.
Stevie Morgan Quotes:
On her previous comment that Serrano is the weakest of the fighters at the top: I’m not being disrespectful at all, I’m just stating facts. If I had to fight any of the fighters at the top, Amanda is the one I’d choose mainly because she’ll make me look good… she’s on her way out, she could have retired two years ago.
On if Amanda is overlooking her for Katie Taylor: I don’t think she looks past any opponent, but she shouldn’t be for sure. One thing for sure, I am a professional, been in this game for 15 years, this is my 50th fight, and I never overlooked any opponent.
Lucas Bahdi Quotes:
On what it was like to get the call asking to be on the card: I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this, a big opportunity, a big stage. This is obviously my toughest fight, his toughest fight by two undefeated fighters. It’s gonna be a great fight.
H2O Sylve Quotes:
On what his assessment of Bahdi is: From what I saw in very fundamentally sound, he has a real right hand. I think that’s the best attribute on this side.
Tony Aguilar Quotes:
On the previous split decision ruling in his first match with Marksman and if it would have been different were he in better shape: It wouldn’t have been even close enough, and then even tried to call it a draw, you know, I mean, but Saturday, we will right that wrong, like they said, you know, because it was the wrong decision. But we will make sure they know on Saturday.
Corey Marksman Quotes:
On what he learned from the split decision between him and Aguilar: I’d say, don’t take anything for granted. You know, you might think that you’re in the lead, you might think that you’re winning the fight, but at the end of the day, the judges are the ones that decide that. So you gotta really go out there and take what’s yours.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Quotes:
On his motivation to come back after a three-year break: To be back in boxing is great for me. I’m ready to put on a performance on Saturday.
On whether this is a one-off or a comeback: This is definitely a comeback.
Uriah Hall Quotes:
On his decision to come back after a two-year hiatus As an athlete, as a warrior, you still have those tendencies. And time to time, I get a little bored… so when this came up, I got excited.
About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)
Most Valuable Promotions 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, 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.
About DAZN
DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading tech, and multi-platform distribution. DAZN believes that fans from across the globe should be able to watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.
For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?dazngroup.com.
About Vinik Sports Group/Tampa Bay Lightning/AMALIE Arena:
The three-time Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning (2004, 2020, 2021) of the National Hockey League and the leasehold rights to AMALIE Arena, the 19,092-seat home in which the team plays its games, were purchased by Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment, an entity established by Chairman and Governor Jeff Vinik, in March of 2010. Since that time, the Lightning and the arena have undergone a complete brand and business transformation, featuring a $100 million dollar renovation of the publicly owned facility as well as back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021. AMALIE Arena serves as the centerpiece of the vibrant Water Street district of downtown Tampa, a development spearheaded by Vinik, in a partnership with Strategic Property Partners. In February of 2020, the organization announced the creation of Vinik Sports Group, which now serves as the parent company of the Lightning, AMALIE Arena and other sports and entertainment assets, including management of the Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida, as well as multi-media rights for USF Athletics. AMALIE Arena hosts over 200 events per year with over 2 million guests walking through the doors, while Yuengling Center hosts over 250 events per year with over 1 million guests. Both have the mission to provide world-class entertainment for sports fans and music enthusiasts alike.