Rosie Perez has been a lifelong boxing fan. Nonetheless she stored her love for the game a secret as a result of so many individuals discover it “too barbaric.” However just a few years in the past, she started tweeting commentary whereas watching fights.
Quick ahead to right now. Nicknamed “The First Woman of Boxing,” Perez is among the official commentators of the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul match going down Friday night time in Dallas and airing dwell on Netflix.
“It’s gonna be and fascinating matchup,” Perez advised me Thursday. “Jake Paul is in his late 20s, and Mike Tyson is 58. Three a long time. It’s loopy.”
Like many, Perez wasn’t thrilled when Paul started his profession. “Everybody hated on him when he first acquired into boxing, together with myself,” she mentioned. “Nevertheless it was much less about hate, it was extra about concern. It is a actual sport. You don’t play boxing. Individuals can get harm. Individuals have misplaced their lives within the ring, in order that’s why I used to be in opposition to him. However he simply stored going. He stored going and going.”
Perez isn’t making any predictions on who will win as a result of she believes every has an equal shot. “Mike wanting the way in which he seems now it’s, everybody’s saying it’s a 50/50, likelihood,” she says. “The place earlier than they had been like, ‘Jake Paul has this within the bag as a result of he’s youthful and he does have knockout energy.’ He’s knocked out about 5 of his opponents — however all of them weren’t Mike Tyson.”
This following Q&A has been edited for size and readability.
How frightened are you about Mike or Jake getting significantly injured?
I’m at all times frightened at each single boxing match, as a result of one punch can change a combat. Yeah, one might knock someone out unexpectedly. So I’m involved. I’m not solely involved for Tyson, I’m additionally involved for Jake Paul, however I’m extra involved for Tyson due to his age.
What are a few of your favourite boxing motion pictures?
“The Tougher They Fall” with Humphrey Bogart as a result of it was the primary boxing movie I noticed that handled the enterprise of boxing, and it broke my coronary heart as a result of I didn’t understand how dirty it was, and the way again then the mob simply took benefit of individuals. Then there’s the primary “Rocky” and high of the road is “Raging Bull.” What De Niro did with that character, how he understood the combat recreation, it was loopy. The cinematography and the path by Martin Scorsese was insane. I used to be watching the film for the primary time and I knew what the result was as a result of I do know the combat, however I used to be nonetheless on the sting of my seat.
Jake Paul is a giant supporter of Donald Trump. I wished to get your response to that — or do you assume sports activities and politics shouldn’t combine?
Once I’m at a boxing match, I by no means discuss politics. Donald Trump exhibits up at UFC fights, and he confirmed up on the boxing matches, and he was within the enterprise of boxing earlier than he destroyed Atlantic Metropolis. However what I’ve realized over time as a result of I’m very, very outspoken is once I’m at a boxing match, I don’t discuss it. That mentioned, I hate to present [Trump] credit score. It’s a genius transfer for Trump to place himself within the sports activities world as a result of it’s a tribal factor, proper? If you concentrate on it, we now have all these totally different nationalities. When you’re at a sporting match, everybody’s in the identical tribe. Even if you’re rooting for the alternative workforce, you’re all there for a similar purpose. And that’s big entry to the American inhabitants. With reference to Jake Paul, my perspective of him as a businessman modified as a result of he supported ladies’s boxing. Ladies’s boxing has been ignored for therefore lengthy. They by no means acquired paid the identical as males. They’re nonetheless getting punched within the face similar to males are. They’re nonetheless getting knocked out similar to males, however they received’t get the identical cash. Should you’re gonna punch me within the face, you higher pay me the identical quantity you’re paying this man over right here. They stored saying, “No person desires to see ladies’s boxing. No person is into ladies preventing.’ The primary one to show that unsuitable was Dana White and the second to show that unsuitable was Jake Paul. He placed on a match with Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor. He mentioned, “I’m going to promote out Madison Sq. Backyard, and I’m going to get these ladies paid.” And he did. After the combat, Amanda mentioned she was lastly capable of afford shopping for a home.
I do know you don’t like to combine sports activities and politics, however I do must ask you ways you’re feeling after the election?
There have been so many Democrats that had been devastated, they usually stored asking me, “Why are you not devastated? I mentioned, “I’m not devastated. I’m simply frightened. I’m frightened for the nation.” I mentioned, “I advised you guys from day one, regardless that I campaigned for her — as a result of I used to be like, we gotta do every little thing, all arms on deck to ensure she wins extra so to ensure he doesn’t get again into workplace — however from day one I stored telling the marketing campaign, “It’s the economic system, silly.” And guess what? It bit us within the ass, and that’s only a laborious capsule to swallow. However we acquired to take our drugs and stand up off the fucking canvas and begin coaching once more and maintain the combat going. It’s like this pity celebration that they had been all having. I’m like, “What the hell is unsuitable with, y’all? We’ve been right here earlier than. We’ve misplaced earlier than.” You cry for one night time, after which recover from it. You’re the primary particular person I’ve mentioned this to as a result of no one wished me to push that message on the market. I stored telling everybody, “I dwell in the true world.” I do know that the far proper accuses me of being an elitist as a result of I’m within the leisure enterprise, and I clap proper again at them. I mentioned, “Pay attention, motherfuckers, I come from abject poverty. I’m the American dream. I bust my ass. I get turned down on a regular basis due to my coloration and my nationality and my ethnicity. I’m preventing each single day for my profession, so screw you.” And imagine it or not, I’m extra reasonable than you assume I’m as a result of I dwell in the true world. However there are such a lot of Republicans on the market that aren’t Trumpers, and we acquired to cease hating on them. We gotta begin listening to them. We gotta begin listening to what they’re making an attempt to inform us what they need from a authorities.
As you mentioned, Trump goes to fights. If he confirmed up on the Tyson-Paul match, would you shake his hand?
No, however I wouldn’t be impolite to him as a result of he’s going to be our subsequent president. I wouldn’t need to provide him any sort of disrespect, however I don’t know if I might shake that man’s hand in good religion. However like I mentioned, boxing and politics shouldn’t combine. I feel he most likely he’ll present up as a result of, not for nothing, it’ll be a very sensible transfer if he does.
