Jake Paul registers sixth-round TKO victory over Mike Perry - ESPN

Jake Paul scored a sixth-round TKO victory over bare knuckle fighter Mike Perry on Saturday in Tampa in an eight-round cruiserweight boxing match.

With the win, Paul maintained his Nov. 15 showdown with the 58-year-old Mike Tyson that was originally scheduled for this night. Paul, a social-media star turned boxer, floored Perry three times before the referee halted the bout at 1:12 of Round 6.

«He's tough as nails… but I just hit too hard and he took a lot of damage,» Paul said. «Mike Tyson, you're next.… It's anyone, anytime, anyplace.»

Paul, who was a -475 favorite, as per ESPN BET, said he was sick leading up to the fight and that his knuckle was «basically broken.»

Perry, 32, is the latest former UFC fighter to fall to Paul. Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) also defeated Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz and Ben Askren. Paul, 27, was noticeably bigger and enjoyed a three-inch height advantage. Perry (0-2) of Orlando, Florida, fights at 175 pounds in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Paul of Cleveland scored a flash knockdown in the opening round with a chopping right hand. He controlled the action from range with his superior jab and footwork.

A jab set up a right hand that dropped Perry 30 seconds into Round 2. Perry rebounded with a strong Round 3 and opened up a cut over Paul's left eye. But by Round 4, it was Paul who once again dominated the exchanges. He rocked Perry into the ropes with combinations on several more occasions before the finishing sequence.

«You did a great job, you were way too fast for me and I couldn't adjust,» Perry said. "… He's not sitting there waiting to be hit like me."

Perry's lone previous boxing match was a fourth-round KO loss to journeyman Kenneth McNeil in May 2015. Perry made his UFC debut one