Boxing

Jake Paul's Boxing Callout Of UFC Champion Alex Pereira Turns Sour

UFC champion Alex Pereira has switched his stance regarding a boxing fight with Jake Paul.

Grant Young

IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

After his knockout victory over former UFC fighter Mike Perry on July 20, 2024, Jake Paul called out UFC undisputed light heavyweight champion and global superstar Alex Pereira for a fight in the boxing ring.

“Alex Pereira! Alex Pereira, you said that you want to box. I’m the king of this, I’m the king of this, come over. We can make it happen, I want you, Alex Pereira!" Paul said after calling out Mike Tyson.

When asked whether he truly wants to fight Pereira, Paul said, "Indeed, indeed. I just beat the BKFC champion, I’ve beat multiple UFC champions, and he said that he wants to box. So Alex Pereira, after Mike Tyson, let’s make it happen.”

Just a few minutes after Paul exited the ring that night, he and Pereira connected on FaceTime to talk about a potential bout between them.

“Hey, let’s run it!” Paul could be heard saying.

“Chama. Let’s go, let’s go my brother," Pereira responded.

While this seemed like a positive sign, nothing has come of any potential Paul vs. Pereira bout since their FaceTime discussion. And during a February 27 interview with Bloody Elbow, Pereira's sentiment on a potential showdown with Paul in the boxing ring had shifted.

“I think that was more for the media, for the hype.”

- Pereira on Paul's callouts

“I don’t necessarily know if that makes a lot of sense. Maybe for an exhibition match or something like that. But honestly, I’m on another level. Granted, he is a boxer now. He’s a guy that trains boxing but I just feel like I’m different, on a different level.”

Given that Pereira is one of the most terrifying punchers in all of combat sports, perhaps him spurning a boxing match with Paul is for the best.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Boxing, Women’s Basketball, and the New York Mets for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years, and he thinks it’s time that Canelo Álvarez fights David Benavidez.