Mike Perez remains one of boxing’s biggest mysteries. Eight years undefeated, fifty pounds lighter and still going nowhere.

At age 40, Perez should be slowing down physically. Most fighters his age are desperate to maintain weight and squeeze in one last paycheck before retirement.

Perez does the opposite.

Mike Perez is constantly losing weight

The former heavyweight and Prizefighter winner stepped into the ring again on Saturday night in Manchester looking leaner than ever before, weighing in at just under 195 pounds.

Perez moved to 31-3-1 with an eight-round points victory over previously undefeated Franklin Arinze on the Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley card at the Co-op Live Arena.

This means the Cuban is now just 20 pounds shy of the airy heavyweight limit, despite competing above 240 pounds during his heavyweight career.

This is one of the strangest physical transformations in up-to-date boxing. But the bigger mystery is where it all leads.

Perez hasn’t lost a fight since winning the world title against the division’s number one 200-pounder Mairis Briedis in 2017. He completely rebuilt his body, stayed energetic, won regional belts and even established himself on the bridgeweight scene.

Yet somehow he still seems trapped in boxing limbo.

Saturday’s performance came at around 6pm on the UK undercard against another relatively unknown opponent. Without much pressure. No solemn title talks. There’s no indication that anyone in boxing knows what to do with him yet.

This is what makes Perez such a fascinating case.

The fight with Magomed Abdusalamov changed everything

Talent has never been an issue. Mike Perez is an extremely talented boxer who can punch. So what’s the problem?

Anyone who saw him shoot through Prizefighter in 2011 or trade bombs with Magomed Abdusalamov at Madison Square Garden knows that Perez once looked destined for the very top of the heavyweight division.

But the fight with Abdusalamov changed everything.

Mago suffered life-changing injuries as a result of the brutal war in Novel York, and although Perez escaped unscathed, he never physically regained his former career.

Whether it was mental, emotional, or just the natural aftermath of a terrible night in the ring, something undeniably changed in Perez from that moment on.

Now, at 40, he occupies one of the strangest positions in boxing.

Too aged to be considered a solemn long-term investment. Too talented to be completely ignored. Too experienced for potential clients to take unnecessary risks. But still good enough that people wonder what would happen if someone finally gave him a real chance.

Whether his obvious ability will ever be rewarded, or whether the reward comes too overdue, is impossible to ignore whenever his name comes up.

The Mago fight will always hang over Perez’s career, regardless of what “Rebel” does from here.

But if he somehow manages to win a world title before he leaves, perhaps that shadow would finally fade a little.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Rafael Espinoza’s team is rapidly moving towards a unification fight against IBF featherweight champion Angelo Leo after the defeat of Leo’s scheduled title defense against Ra’eese Aleem.

Boxing reporter Fernando Sabatini said Saturday that Espinoza’s team plans to formally continue the fight with Leo and noted that negotiations between the camps were close to being finalized.

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Last update: 2026/05/10 at 18:50

After losing his undisputed super middleweight crown, Canelo Alvarez is set to return to an immediate title fight with newly crowned WBC ruler Christian Mbilli, and Devin Haney has shared his thoughts on how he thinks the fight will go.

Canelo became the two-time undisputed 168-pound champion last May, but four months later he lost all his titles to Terence Crawford in a unique fight on the 2025 boxing calendar.

Alvarez was injured in that contest and has been on the bench ever since, and his opponent was Cameroonian-born Christian Mbilli, who returned after “Solide” was elevated to the WBC world title earlier this year.

I’m talking to Inside the RingHaney explained why he believes Mbilli is “tailor-made” for the Mexican superstar and will not be a test for the Mexican four-division world champion.

“I think he’s a guy who will step forward and be there for Canelo to let go and do his typical stuff.

“I think it will be straightforward, he is made for Canelo. Him [Mbilli] he’s standing right in front of you.

“Even if Canelo stumbled a little bit, I don’t think Mbilli would be the one to take advantage of that. I think it’s a tailor-made fight for Canelo to go in there and look good and look like he’s come back and been reincarnated. I don’t think Mbilli is testing him at all.”

Alvarez vs. fight Mbilli will take place on Saturday, September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.