Jake Paul TKOs Mike Perry in 6th round of boxing match

Jake Paul defeated former UFC fighter Mike Perry via TKO at the 1:12 mark of the sixth round in a boxing match Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Paul dropped Perry three times: first in the opening round, then in the second, and finally in the sixth. In setting up the finish, Paul wobbled Perry with an overhand left and landed a barrage of punches against the ropes to put him on the canvas. Perry returned to his feet but the referee waved off the fight.

Paul controlled most of the fight, using his jab to punish Perry and his movement to avoid many of Perry's biggest shots. The latter briefly came alive in Round 3, getting Paul's attention with punches to the head, but Paul returned to dominance from Round 4 until the TKO victory.

Now, Paul will look ahead to a blockbuster boxing match against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, which is scheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will stream on Netflix. The bout was initially slated for July 20, but Tyson withdrew in May due to a medical issue. In lieu of that matchup, Most Valuable Promotions booked Paul-Perry on a month's notice.

Though Tyson is next for Paul, the YouTube star turned prizefighter also set his sights on UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

"Alex Pereira, you said you want to box," Paul said in his postfight interview. "I'm the king of this. Come over, we can make it happen. I want you, Alex Pereira. ... I just beat a BKFC champion, I've beaten multiple UFC champions. He said he wants to box, so Alex Pereira, after Mike Tyson, let's make it happen."

Paul's victory lifted his pro boxing record to 10-1 with seven knockouts. He's now riding a four-fight winning streak and has claimed his last three inside the distance.

Perry, a former UFC welterweight who now competes in bare-knuckle fighting under the BKFC banner, was making his pro boxing debut. He credited Paul for his slick moves.

"I was trying to roll with the punches and hit your ass back," Perry said to Paul afterward. "You did a great job. You were way too fast for me and I couldn't adjust."

This was Perry's first combat sports defeat since his final UFC appearance in 2021. "Platinum" made his BKFC debut in early 2022 and has emerged as the face of the promotion, winning five straight against the likes of former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez.

Both Paul and Perry said they'd entertain a rematch under either MMA or BKFC rules.

"Yeah, it'd be fun," Paul said. "I'm down for it all. I love combat. I love going to war. This is what I was destined for. And in two years, I will be the cruiserweight champion of the f-----g world."