JAKE PAUL TAKING 'RISK' AS BACK-UP READY TO 'KNOCK HIM OUT' IF TOMMY FURY FIGHT COLLAPSES

has been warned he is making a "big mistake" in picking UFC veteran Mike Perry as the backup opponent for his upcoming contest with Tommy Fury. Perry's training partner and Karate combat fighter, Samuel Ericsson, believes The Problem Child is "biting off more than he can chew" and will get knocked out by Platinum should Fury pull out.

The long-awaited grudge match between Paul and Fury is finally over the line and set to take place on February 26 in Saudi Arabia after two failed attempts to make it happen. Ahead of their inaugural encounter in December 2021, Fury pulled out of the contest after suffering a broken rib in camp. Then, eight months later, the bout was once again cancelled due to TNT being denied entry to the United States - where the contest was set to take place.

Given their messy history, Paul has Perry on standby should the same happen again. "We have Mike Perry on standby," Paul said when asked if there was a backup for the fight. "Let's go, Mike Perry. He's ready to jump in in case Tommy pulls out."

"A part of me definitely still doubts [that Fury shows up]," Paul added. "It's scary and it's annoying and him not showing up to the face-to-face we were just supposed to do right now, it sucks and the kid's not necessarily reliable, but the money's good for him. So it would just be so dumb and I think he's probably tired of [Fury's partner and fellow reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague] making all the money in the relationship. He's got a kid now, so he needs to help pay for some diapers."

However, Ericsson, who knows Perry better than most, affirms that Paul should have chosen an easier backup.

"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.

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"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."

2023-02-03T11:49:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd