YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul returned to the ring on Saturday with a KO victory over former MMA fighter Mike Perry in a cruiserweight battle in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Paul (10-1, 7 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio, was scheduled to face former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but Tyson had a medical issue during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and the fight was postponed to Dec. 15.
After starting his career 6-0 with victories over former MMA fighters and fellow YouTubers, Paul lost a majority decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023. He rebounded with victories over MMA fighter Nate Diaz, and little-known boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
Perry, from Orlando, Florida, whose only boxing match on record before Saturday was a fourth-round KO loss against Kenneth McNeil in 2015, has been fighting in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), following a 15-fight career in the UFC.
Saturday morning in Japan, ESPN’s No. 1 bantamweight Junto Nakatani needed only 2:37 minutes to defend his WBC world title against Vincent Astrolabio in Tokyo.
Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs), of Kanagawa, Japan, sent Astrolabio to the canvas with a well-placed body punch. He has won eight of his last 10 fights by stoppage. Nakatani is also a former flyweight and junior bantamweight champion.
Also on Saturday, former undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron defeated Elhem Mekhaled by majority decision to win the vacant WBC interim junior welterweight belt in Birmingham, England.
Cameron (19-1, 8 KOs), of Northamptonshire, England, has been on the rise in the past four years. In October 2020 she won the WBC junior welterweight title against Adriana Dos Santos Araujo. After one defense, Cameron unified the IBF title against Mary McGee in October 2021. In November 2022 she defeated Jessica McCaskill by unanimous decision to become undisputed champion, and just six months later, Cameron outpointed Katie Taylor by majority decision to defend the belts, in her biggest fight to date. Cameron lost the belts in a rematch with Taylor last November.
Mekhaled (17-3, 3 KOs), of Paris, France, is a former WBC interim junior lightweight champion. She challenged Alycia Baumgardner for the undisputed junior lightweight championship in February 2023, but lost in a unanimous decision. She had won two consecutive fights before losing to Cameron.
Where can I watch the replay of the Nakatani-Astrolabio fight card?
The Nakatani-Astrolabio fight card replay can be streamed on ESPN+.
Where can I watch the replay of the Cameron-Mekhaled fight card?
The Cameron-Mekhaled fight card replay can be streamed on ESPN+.
Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV
Don’t have ESPN? Learn how to get instant access today: ESPNInstantAccess.com
How do I stream the fights on ESPN/ESPN+?
The fights will be available to stream on mobile devices using the ESPN App.
Nakatani-Astrolabio results:
-
Title fight: Junto Nakatani defeated Vincent Astrolabio by first-round KO to retain the WBC bantamweight title
-
Tenshin Nasukawa defeated Jonathan Rodriguez by third-round TKO in a junior featherweight bout
-
Title fight: Anthony Olascuaga defeated Riku Kano by third-round TKO to win the vacant WBO flyweight title
Cameron-Mekhaled results:
-
Brad Pauls defeated Nathan Heaney by 12th-round KO to win the British middleweight title
-
Shabaz Masoud defeated Marvin Solano by unanimous decision
-
Title fight: Chantelle Cameron defeated Elhem Mekhaled by MD to win the vacant WBC women’s interim junior welterweight title
-
Solomon Dacres defeated Michael Webster by seventh-round TKO in a heavyweight bout
-
Ekow Essuman defeated Owen Cooper by 10th-round TKO in a welterweight bout
-
Ezra Taylor defeated Carlos Alberto Lamela by unanimous decision in a light heavyweight bout
-
Andrew Cain defeated Ashley Lane by fifth-round TKO to win the British bantamweight title
What other fight cards are happening this weekend and where can I watch them?
Saturday, July 20 in Tampa Bay, Florida (DAZN PPV)
-
Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry, 8 rounds, cruiserweights
-
Amanda Serrano vs. Stevie Morgan, 10 rounds, women’s junior welterweights
-
Shadasia Green vs. Natasha Spence, 8 rounds, women’s super middleweights
-
Tony Aguilar vs. Corey Marksman, 8 rounds, lightweights
-
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Uriah Hall, 6 rounds, light heavyweights
-
Ashton Sylve vs. Lucas Bahdi, 10 rounds, lightweights
-
Angel Barrientes vs. Edwin Rodriguez, 6 rounds, junior featherweights
-
Ariel Perez vs. Dane Guerrero, 4 rounds, light heavyweights
-
Alexis Chaparro vs. Kevin Hill, 4 rounds, middleweights
For all the other main fight cards in boxing, please visit the ESPN boxing schedule.
