Mike Perry has made no secret of his desire to box Jake Paul. But not until 2023 did he claim that desire materialized into a contract.

Perry posted what he claimed to be a bout agreement to box Paul up to eight three-minute rounds at an event on Feb. 18, 2023 (or another date Paul’s promoter chose). He called out the YouTuber turned boxer for backing out of their fight.

“I signed a contract to fight [Jake Paul] but he changed his mind,” Perry wrote on Twitter.

Paul’s promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, acknowledged a request for comment but did not immediately respond when contacted by MMA Fighting. The authenticity of Perry’s alleged contract could not be independently confirmed, and he did not respond to a request for comment through his current promoter, BKFC.

Perry’s relationship with Paul stretches back to the influencer/boxer’s nascent career in combat sports. Prepping for a fight with Ben Askren, Paul and his team contracted Perry to be a sparring partner for $100 per round. Later, he released a video of Perry saying “you kicked my ass, Jake.” Perry didn’t take kindly to the move and called out Paul in several interviews, indicating he was taken advantage of.

Later, Perry softened his stance toward Paul and targeted the YouTuber’s sparring partner, middleweight boxer J’Leon Love. But after defeating Bellator welterweight title challenger Michael Page, he called out Paul for a showdown in the ring.

Paul this past November said his next fight would take place in February, and offers had been extended to three potential opponents. He did not mention their names, but openly welcomed a fight with UFC star Nate Diaz, who became a free agent around the same time as he began scouting opponents. Diaz and Paul’s team clashed backstage at Paul’s previous boxing match, a meeting with ex-UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva that ended in a unanimous decision win.

Perry fought in the UFC for five years, delivering several exciting and bloody battles before a skid prompted him to request his release from contract. He subsequently signed with BKFC and took wins over Julian Lane and Page.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin contributed to this report.