Jake Paul was ringside for Gervonta Davis’ clash with Lamont Roach Jr. in March. Many—including Paul himself—believed the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Davis, widely regarded as the face of boxing, was expected to make quick work of Roach Jr., a naturally smaller fighter he had already beaten twice in the amateurs. But boxing has a way of defying expectations, and this time it was Davis who was caught off guard.

Instead of folding, Roach Jr. rose to the occasion, pushing Gervonta Davis to the brink and earning a controversial majority-decision draw. The result temporarily derailed Jake Paul’s plan to secure an exhibition bout with ‘Tank,’ as all signs pointed to a rematch between Davis and Lamont Roach Jr., with August even floated as a possible date. Yet, in a twist of his own, the Baltimore native chose to bypass the rematch altogether—opting instead to face ‘El Gallo.’

Now, Paul and Davis are set to face each other in an exhibition fight on November 14 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, live on Netflix. However, can Paul realistically beat Gervonta Davis? Paul’s former opponent, Mike Perry, seems to think so. “Jake is big, Tank has a lot of skill, but I don’t think he’s the same Tank that we saw [get] the most incredible knockouts,” Perry told Fight Hub TV.

“I mean, Lamont Roach performed great, they went to a draw, and Tank walked away. I don’t know if he loves it enough to beat a guy who outweighs him by 80 to 100 pounds,” Perry added during the interview. There indeed is a massive weight disparity between the two. While Paul last fought at cruiserweight, Davis has remained a lightweight for years now. Yet, it’s worth noting that it’s an exhibition fight, and there aren’t any winners in such bouts. 

Perry’s prediction, though, stems from his firsthand experience of facing Paul in the squared circle. After Mike Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up last year during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles, Perry stepped in to replace Tyson for their July 20th fight. Paul went on to score a 6th-round knockout win over Perry, who thought beating Paul wouldn’t be a big deal thanks to his experience in combat sports. 

Regardless, Jake Paul seems to share Perry’s view of how the fight will go down.

Jake Paul makes a promise to Gervonta Davis

After the exhibition was announced, Jake Paul didn’t waste much time, as he fired the first shot on social media. Confident about his size and reach advantages, Paul declared, “Size versus speed, power versus precision – one will rise, and one will fall.” At 6-foot-1, the YouTuber-turned-boxer holds a 7½-inch height edge and a 9½-inch reach advantage over Davis, who competes seven divisions below him.

Calling out Davis directly, Paul added, “His nickname might be Tank, but I’m an FPV drone, and I’m about to disable the tiny boy. Yes, he’s one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds.” Promising to make a statement, Paul went further: “First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath.”

It appears that even though an exhibition doesn’t have a winner or a loser, both Mike Perry and Jake Paul have shared their prediction that Paul will win the fight. While this should be a financial success, the question is, can Paul deliver the satisfaction fans want from a boxing match?