Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry may be happening, but a much more shocking replacement bout almost filled the void once Mike Tyson withdrew from his July 20 date with Paul.
That’s according to Paul’s longtime business partner and MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, who revealed Wednesday on The MMA Hour that the duo floated the idea of an interfamily matchup between both Paul brothers, Jake and older brother Logan, to preserve the July 20 date with broadcast partner Netflix once Tyson was ruled out for medical reasons.
“We said to Netflix, we could get the two of them to agree to do it on July 20th on Netflix,” Bidarian revealed Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “I think Netflix saw it as a phenomenal, massive event, with not enough run-up [time] to do it the right way.”
All parties involved ultimately decided to postpone Paul vs. Tyson to Nov. 15 and preserve that bout as the debut of live combat sports on Netflix. Paul then inked a deal with broadcast partner DAZN to face UFC veteran and BKFC star Perry on July 20 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Bidarian on Wednesday called Perry the perfect test to determine whether Paul is ready for a Hall of Fame boxing talent like the 58-year-old Tyson.
But there is no doubt a boxing match between the Paul brothers could be one of the biggest fights currently available in all of combat sports. Jake and Logan are both global superstars in their own rights, and there has been plenty of sibling drama within their relationship throughout their careers as online influencers, athletes, and entrepreneurs.
“They have the utmost love for each other, but there is a competitive nature between them, absolutely,” Bidarian said. “This is an older brother, younger brother dynamic always, right? And I do believe you’ll see that fight at some point. And there is not one ounce of wrestling [manufactured drama] in it. It is 100 percent real.”
“Yeah, I do. I do,” Bidarian reiterated when asked if he’s confident the fight will one day happen.
Between Perry and Tyson, Jake Paul already has next two boxing bouts booked, while Logan remains busy with his own athletic endeavors as the current WWE United States Champion, so Bidarian declined to give a timeline for the matchup other than “to be determined.”
Nonetheless, whether it happens in concert with Netflix or another broadcast partner, Bidarian won’t be surprised if we see a long-awaited battle of the Paul brothers before all is said and done.
“That feels like a massive global event no matter what, because it’s two brothers putting it all on the line,” Bidarian said. “So I think it’s a great event no matter [what platform it’s on].”
