Jake Paul is ‘making a big mistake’ by booking Mike Perry as standby opponent for Tommy Fury, says Samuel Ericsson
Swedish standout says Paul is ‘biting off more than he can chew’ with Perry.
Jake Paul has made “a big mistake” and is “biting off more than he can chew” in his choice of standby opponent for Saudi Arabia next month, according to one of the world’s top martial artists.
Paul has booked notorious brawler Mike Perry – a UFC veteran with a wild reputation – to step in and replace Tommy Fury for their February 26th fight if Fury pulls out or is unable to compete.
Perry’s friend and training partner Samuel Ericsson – a top competitor in the Karate Combat organization – has felt the force of Perry’s blows in bare-knuckle sparring sessions and thinks he will be too much for Paul to handle.
Ericsson – who counts Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor among his nearly one million online followers – thinks Perry will knock Paul out if he gets called up to step in.
“I think Jake Paul has made a mistake putting Mike Perry on standby for if Tommy Fury drops out, because I am positive Mike will knock him out. He doesn’t care about anyone’s hype and he’s just too tough,” said Ericsson.
“His sheer aggression is too much for most opponents but he’s also got a really intelligent fighting mind. Michael Page is one of the world’s trickiest fighters, and Mike Perry outfoxed him when they fought last year, which surprised a lot of people.
“Mike was also the smaller guy in that fight but it didn’t bother him at all. So I think Jake Paul is biting off more than he can chew here, but I do respect Jake’s willingness to step up and take risks like this.”
Perry was in Ericsson’s corner for his knockout win at Karate Combat 37 in December and Ericsson aims to be with him in Saudi Arabia next month if Perry is called on to step in.
Paul is set to box long-time rival Tommy Fury on Saturday, February 26 in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. Two previous meetings between the pair – December 2021 and August 2022 – fell through, with February being their third – and hopefully final – attempt to settle their rivalry in the ring.
The fight will air on ESPN+ in the U.S. and on BT Sport in the U.K. and will be a pay-per-view.