Mike Perez made quick work of Israel Duffus in the co-feature attraction of Dillian Whyte’s comeback fight.
The former WBC cruiserweight world title challenger was returning to the ring for the first time in over a year at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar on Sunday night.
DAZNPerez only needed 34 seconds to dispatch Duffus[/caption]
Last time out, in October 2023, he stopped Rashad Karimov in one minute and 39 seconds of the opening stanza but his fight with Duffus was over and done with even quicker.
His first meaningful shot of the fight, a looping overhand right, buckled Duffus’ knees and forced a clinch.
As he broke away, Perez let his hands go and caught Duffus by surprise with a flurry of hooks that laid the Panamanian flat on his back.
On the way down, Perez’s head bounced off the canvas as he lay motionless for a moment before attempting to regain his footing.
As the away fighter made his way back to his feet, Duffus stumbled into the ropes, leaving the referee with no choice but to wave off the contest after 34 seconds.
With that victory, Perez improves his record to 30-3-1 while Duffus falls to 20-13.
It’s unclear exactly where Perez, now 39, will go from here.
He is currently ranked No.8 in the WBA 200lb ratings, where Gilberto Ramirez is the champion but has spoken about a possible move up in weight to compete in the bridgerweight division.
The WBA and WBC are the only major sanctioning bodies that recognise the newly formed weight class, which sits between heavyweight and cruiserweight.
Muslim Gadzhimagomedov holds the WBA’s version of the world title while Kevin Lerena was recently elevated to full WBC champion after Lawrence Okolie vacated the green and gold strap.
At his peak, Perez was a decent fringe world-level fighter whose biggest night as a professional came back in 2017 when he was beaten by former WBC champion Mairis Briedis over the distance in the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Super Series.
It was in that very tournament that Oleksandr Usyk was crowned undisputed cruiserweight world champion when he defeated Briedis in the final.
Since then, Perez has won five straight fights and is gearing up for one last hurrah as he nears 40.
