Mike Perry, the renowned bare-knuckle fighter, has expressed strong doubts that Jake Paul would ever consider facing him in a bare-knuckle bout after their scheduled boxing match on July 20. Despite Paul’s claims of being a “crazy motherf*cker” willing to take on Perry in any combat sport, “The King of Violence” remains skeptical.

Paul recently suggested that he might challenge Perry in either MMA or a bare-knuckle fight to prove his dominance across different combat sports. “I want to do an MMA fight and I think Perry is actually a good opponent for MMA and maybe bare-knuckle,” Paul stated on The MMA Hour. “I haven’t thought about it but I’m down.”

However, Perry, who quickly agreed to the boxing match after Mike Tyson’s health issues delayed his own fight with Paul until November, is dismissive of Paul’s willingness to engage in a bare-knuckle fight. “One thing I want to remind Jake over and over again is that he wouldn’t do a bare-knuckle fight,” Perry told MMA Fighting. “Whether he says he would or not, especially after this fight in 10-ounce gloves. He wants to bring it up like ‘boxing is this incredible sport and these hooligans are out there doing this bare-knuckle stuff’ and blah, blah, blah. I’m going to beat him with 10-ounce gloves on. He definitely won’t want to do bare-knuckle after that.”

Given Perry’s perfect 5-0 record in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), including victories over former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, it’s clear that Paul would be at a significant disadvantage in a bare-knuckle fight. Conversely, Perry acknowledges that he faces his own challenges against Paul in the boxing ring, considering Paul’s size, weight, and experience.

“I have accolades that the rest of his competitors did not,” Perry explained. “I’m 6-0 in the last couple of years. I fought a pro boxer who had a really good record and a lot of experience in the ring, and that was seven two-minute rounds. I’ve sparred Jake before for free. He tried to pay me but I told him I didn’t want it. I didn’t want that money back then. I was trying to get more work and more experience but that was back when I was still in the UFC. I’ve just been working towards this and it’s a great opportunity for me and my professional boxing record.”

In the build-up to their fight, Paul has confidently predicted a knockout victory, much like his previous wins in the boxing ring. Perry, however, remains unfazed, drawing comparisons to Paul’s inability to finish UFC veteran Nate Diaz in a ten-round match. “He wasn’t able to finish Nate Diaz in a 10-round boxing match,” Perry pointed out. “I know Nate is very durable and I would have to say I am just as, if not more durable than Nate Diaz is. Nate’s a smart guy. He fought the fight in a slower type of pace. I don’t plan on doing that. I plan on bringing the pain to Jake. I’m going to put a pressure style on him, a Mike Tyson brawler style boxing is what I bring to the table. I’m putting pressure. I’m getting inside. I’m slipping side to side and I’m ripping straights and hooks and jabs and body shots. I want to work that body. I want to break his sides down. I want to make him tired of dealing with me and just stop putting that pressure on him, no matter what he does.”

Perry is confident in his strategy and predicts a late finish to the fight. “I said seventh-round knockout, TKO, if you will,” Perry declared. “I’m looking to make Jake take a knee. Fall down, hit him hard, he’s not going to stand still to let me land the best shot I can land. I have to time it. I have set it up. I have to put the pressure on him. I have to wear on him and break him down over time. I’ve got to hit that body, find those lumps on the side of his head and eventually I think by the seventh round if not the eighth, I’d like to finish him in the last round, too. I’ve got to stop him. I’ve got to put the pressure, overwhelm him and just give the ref no other choice but to step in and stop me from punching on him.”

While Paul has been vocal about his willingness to face Perry in various combat sports, Perry’s experience and confidence suggest that a bare-knuckle fight might be too daunting a challenge for Paul. As the boxing match approaches, fans eagerly await to see if Paul can back up his bold claims or if Perry will prove him wrong in the ring.