Mike Perry had a difficult childhood, working as a busboy, a construction worker, and later ending up a robber. After experiencing his fair share of disappointments, he is now preparing for a match against one of the most well-known personalities of the modern era. Although he has fought as an MMA fighter and more recently as a bare-knuckle fighter, he has some experience in boxing. But, it is imperative that he train himself to box, as he is set to go up against Jake Paul next week.

Even though Mike Perry has a stronger fighting history in combat sports than Jake Paul, he still needs to have a just advantage in boxing in order to overcome ‘The Problem Child’ since Paul has already defeated a number of celebrated MMA greats like Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Tyrone Woodley. But he’s in good hands, and he’s training hard for his next battle.

Where is Mike Perry training?

The Flint, Michigan native got involved in combat sports at the age of 11, beginning with boxing. Mike Perry also often spars with boxers to gain insight into various tactics. Therefore, the fact that he has continued to box actively over the years is something he has going for him. For his battle against Jake Paul on July 20, he is preparing himself at the Teknique Boxing gym in Minneola.

Perry is notorious for his knockouts and is a strong puncher. Perry believes that he will defeat Paul thanks to his rigorous training and knockout ability. While describing his intentions for his bout with Paul, the BKFC middleweight contender stated, “I am coming for a head. I’m a head hunter and I plan on hurting Jake. I know he’s gonna hit me, but I kind of like that sh*t.” 

He is not only an exceptional fighter; he is also a combatant who is not afraid of getting beat. His aggressive fighting approach is proof of it. To add technique to his fighting style, the Flint native has his coach on his side. See who Perry’s coach is for what looks to be one of the biggest fights of his career.

Meet James ‘JT’ Taylor, Mike Perry’s coach 

Mike Perry is currently training with Teknique Boxing Gym’s head coach, James Taylor, also known as JT. Taylor has been a boxer himself, and he really admired Pernell ‘Sweet Pea’ Whittaker’s boxing style. And just like Whittaker, Taylor is a southpaw too. Although he was boxing efficiently, he was forced to give up on his dream of being a professional fighter after receiving an appendix inflammation diagnosis (appendicitis). But his story didn’t end there.    

One of Taylor’s friends, an amateur mixed martial arts fighter, wanted to improve his boxing skills. And guess what? JT started his coaching career by choosing to teach his friend how to box. He gained popularity as a coach in the community gradually. JT was soon hired to run his own boxing program, which was a big success. 

Gradually he opened Teknique Boxing Gym and Fusion X-Cel with two of his friends. JT has worked with some amazing fighters in the past like Alan Patrick, Ronaldo Souza, Phil Rowe, Rodolfo Vieira, Charles Oliveira, Paulo Costa, Alan Patrick, and of course, Mike Perry.  

When Mike Perry fought without a coach!

Although now Platinum has a coach he trusts and respects, earlier he had to part ways with his coaches due to disagreements. He stated that during his time at the UFC, whatever he achieved was because of his own way of fighting. He believes that his coaches did not add much value to his performances. Remarkably, former UFC fighter turned commentator Michael Bisping made a curious remark regarding Perry’s fight against Vicente Luque, which Perry really admired. 

“It was after the fight and I watched the fight later on TV. Michael Bisping said something on TV where I had double underhooks on the fence and he said, ‘Here, I would cable grip my hands together and pull in the lower back.’ I was like, ‘Look at that. Nobody said that to me.’ That’s what I mean. These coaches aren’t doing anything other than taking the best seat in the house,” Perry had said about his earlier coaches.

‘Platinum’ preferred to just have his training partners with him during his fights. More significantly, though, he had the lady luck of his life, his now-wife Latory Gonzalez by his side. She was his girlfriend then, but the pair later tied the knot. They even have two kids together. 

Meanwhile, with coach JT on his side, Mike Perry is confident about taking out Jake Paul in their fight at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. The eight-round battle is slated to take place on July 20th. Do you think Perry will be able to defeat ‘The Problem Child’? Share your opinions about it in the comments section below.