Rosie Perez is a lifelong boxing fan. However, she kept her love for the sport a secret as many people find it “too barbaric”. But a few years ago, she started tweeting comments while watching games.
Let’s fast forward to today. Perez, nicknamed the “First Lady of Boxing,” will be one of the official commentators for Friday night’s Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul bout in Dallas, which will be broadcast live on Netflix.
“It’s going to be an interesting matchup,” Perez told me on Thursday. “Jake Paul is in his late 20s and Mike Tyson is 58. 30 years. It’s crazy.”
Like many people, Perez wasn’t thrilled when Paul started his career. “When he first started boxing, everyone hated him, including me,” she said. “But it wasn’t so much hatred, it was concern. This is a real sport. You don’t box. People get hurt. People die in the ring, so I’m going to That’s why I was against him. But he just kept going. He kept going.”
Perez has no predictions about who will win. Because she believes that each of them has an equal chance of winning. “The way Mike is right now, he says the odds are 50-50,” she says. “Before, it was like, ‘Jake Paul is young and has knockout power, so I’ve got this in my bag.’ He’s knocked out about five of his opponents, but Not all of them were Mike Tyson.
This following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
How worried are you that Mike or Jake will be seriously injured?
I always worry about boxing matches. Because one punch can change a fight. Well, you might knock someone out unexpectedly. That’s why I’m worried. I’m not only worried about Tyson, I’m worried about Jake Paul, but I’m more worried about Tyson because of his age.
What is your favorite boxing movie?
I watched The Harder They Fall, starring Humphrey Bogart, because it was the first boxing movie I ever saw that dealt with the business of boxing, and how dirty it was, and how the mob was working at the time. My heart felt like it was going to break because I didn’t know how he was taking it. Advantages of a person. Then there’s the first “Rocky,” and the top one is “Raging Bull.” What De Niro did with that character, how he understood the fighting game, it was crazy. Martin Scorsese’s cinematography and direction were absolutely fantastic. I watched the movie for the first time and even though I knew the fight and knew what the outcome would be, I was still sitting on the edge of my seat.
Jake Paul is a big supporter of Donald Trump. I wanted to hear your reaction to that, or do you think sports and politics shouldn’t mix?
I never talk about politics when I’m watching a boxing match. Donald Trump showed up to UFC matches, he showed up to boxing matches, and he was in the boxing business even before he destroyed Atlantic City. But I’m a very outspoken person, so what I’ve learned over the years is that when I’m in a boxing match, I don’t talk about it. That being said, I hate giving [Trump] credit. It’s a genius move for Trump to put himself in the world of sports, because it’s a tribal issue, right? If you think about it, we have many different nationalities. When you’re at a sports game, everyone’s part of the same tribe. Even if you’re rooting for the opposing team, you’re all there for the same reason. And that’s great access to the American public. As for Jake Paul, his support for women’s boxing changed my perspective as a businessman. Women’s boxing has been ignored for a long time. They were never paid the same as men. They still continue to get punched in the face just like men. They still continue to get knocked out just like men, but they don’t receive the same amount of money. If you’re going to punch me in the face, you better pay me the same amount you’re paying this guy here. They kept saying, “No one wants to see women’s boxing.” No one is interested in fighting women. ” Dana White was the first to prove it wrong, and Jake Paul was the second to prove it wrong. He had matches with Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor. He said, “I’m going to sell Madison Square Garden and pay these women.” And he did. After the fight, Amanda said she was finally able to afford to buy a house.
I know you don’t like mixing sports and politics, but I’d like to know how you feel after the election is over?
There were a lot of Democrats who were devastated, and they kept asking me: I said: I’m just worried. I’m worried about the country.” I said, “Even though I campaigned for her, I told you from day one, because I want her to win more, and Because I knew I had to do everything in my power to make sure he didn’t go back to the polls.”But from day one, I kept saying to the campaign, “It’s the economy, you idiot.” And guess what? It bit us in the ass, and it was just a tough pill to swallow. But we had to take the medicine, get up off the canvas, start training again and continue fighting. It’s like this pity party they were all having. I say this. “What the hell is wrong with you guys?” We’ve been here before. We’ve lost before. ”Even if you cry all night, it will heal quickly. You’re the first person I’ve said this to because I didn’t want anyone to push that message out to me. I kept telling everyone, “I live in the real world.” I know the far right has accused me of being an elitist because I’m in the entertainment industry, but I’m quick to applaud them. I said, “Listen, assholes, I come from extreme poverty. I’m the American Dream. I bust my ass. I get rejected all the time because of my skin color, my nationality, my ethnicity. I’m fighting for my career every day, so fuck it up.” And believe it or not, I live in the real world, so I don’t know what you’re thinking. I’m more moderate than most. But there are a lot of Republicans out there who are not Trumpers, and we have to stop hating them. We have to start listening to them. We have to start listening to what they want from government and what they are trying to tell us.
As you said, Trump is going to fight. If he showed up to the Tyson vs. Paul fight, would you shake his hand?
No, but he’s going to be the next president, so don’t be disrespectful to him. I don’t want to disrespect him in any way, but I don’t know if I can shake hands with that person in good faith. However, as I said earlier, boxing and politics should not be mixed. I think he’ll probably show up. Because if he shows up, it will be a very wise move.
