Jake Paul opponent Mike Perry dropped tennis star girlfriend with left hook in boxing ring

Jake Paul's next boxing rival, Mike Perry, once knocked down his tennis player ex-girlfriend during a sparring session. Perry, an ex-MMA fighter turned boxer, is set to enter the ring against Paul in Florida this weekend for his second professional bout.

The match-up comes after plans for Paul to face Mike Tyson in Texas fell through due to the former heavyweight king pulling out on health grounds. Despite forging a formidable 5-0 streak in bare-knuckle fighting post-UFC, Perry will confront a size disadvantage when squaring off with Paul.

Away from the ring, the 32-year-old's life has been anything but smooth sailing. Currently, Perry is married to Latory Gonzalez, a former pro wrestler he met at an MMA event. The couple, who began their romance in 2020, are parents to two children.

Before Gonzalez, Perry was involved with Danielle Nickerson, a pro tennis player, who played an active role in his career. Footage from 2019 even shows him sparring with her.

During the session, which was light-hearted initially, Perry landed a heavy left hook to Nickerson's body, causing her to collapse, as seen on his YouTube channel. Nevertheless, she quickly recovered and the pair ended the session amicably with a hug and a kiss. Post-spar, Perry playfully praised Nickerson, saying: "Good job, give me some love."

Nickerson was also integral to Perry's fight preparations, managing his diet. She was also a regular presence in his corner during fights. The couple exchanged vows in 2019, only to pursue a divorce a year later.

His present spouse, Gonzalez, is also involved in his professional life. She has escorted him to the cage for an MMA fight, carrying his ice and water. The extent of her involvement in this weekend's clash with Paul is yet to be unveiled.

The upcoming bout might not be the final showdown between them as Paul has expressed openness to a rematch in a different combat sport. Speaking to The MMA Hour, he declared: "I want to do an MMA fight and I think Perry is actually a good opponent for MMA and maybe bare-knuckle. I haven't thought about it but I'm down."

Meanwhile, Perry has admitted he is already considering his next opponent after Paul. In a recent interview on Sean O'Malley's YouTube channel, he said he was confident of defeating the 'Problem Child', saying: "I'm not gonna lie, man, I've been thinking about, when I beat up Jake, like, that's the call out for me."