Jake Paul’s two-time opponent Tyron Woodley warns Mike Perry ahead of boxing match

Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley thinks Mike Perry needs to focus on a pair of key gameplan elements when he faces Jake Paul in the boxing ring.

Paul and Perry will clash in a highly anticipated boxing match on July 20 in Tampa, Florida. Perry, a Bare Knuckle FC star, will look to hand Paul his second career boxing defeat.

Perry presents a unique puzzle for Paul to solve inside the ring. His forward pressure and aggressiveness, most directly evidenced in recent wins over Luke Rockhold and Thiago Alves, could give Paul some pushback in their fight.

Woodley, who suffered two losses to Paul in 2021, knows what it’s like to clash with Paul in the ring.

Tyron Woodley advises Mike Perry for Jake Paul fight

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Woodley was asked what advice he’d give to Perry ahead of his upcoming bout with Paul.

“Be composed and be patient,” Woodley advised Perry. “He knows what it’s like to spar Jake [Paul], he knows Jake will punch and stick and move. When he fought me, he wasn’t trying to knock me down like some of these guys, he was moving around. And I feel like that’s the part that Mike Perry has to look out for…

“He kind of needs to be in hook throwing distance, do damage so he can hit the body, uppercuts, hooks. So if he’s in that long jab distance, I think he needs to learn how to close the gap. He kind of does boxing like Mike Tyson anyway, that’s his style, he mimics Mike Tyson. So I think that he’s going to give Mike [Tyson] a little bit of a cheat sheet on closing that gap as well.”

Paul is looking to stay on track after three consecutive wins in the ring, including recent wins over Nate Diaz and Andre August. He knocked out Ryan Bourland in his most recent outing in March.

Perry hasn’t fought in professional boxing since a loss to Kenneth McNeil in 2015. Since then, he’s made a name for himself in bare-knuckle boxing, defeating former UFC champions like Eddie Alvarez.

It’s unclear if Perry will seek direct counsel from Woodley ahead of the Paul fight, but Woodley would likely be a valuable resource for him to consider.