From innocuous tweets about fights to the commentary box, Rosie Perez has come a long way as far as boxing goes. Always a passionate follower of the sport, Perez has reached a stage where she is often referred to as boxing’s ‘First Lady’. Her transition as a fan may have been smooth. But stepping into the ringside booth was likely a bit more challenging. The actress, who received an Oscar nomination for her role in the 1993 movie ‘Fearless,’ joined boxing legends Roy Jones Jr. and Andre Ward to cover the live broadcast of the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson fight.

Two weeks ago, at the Cowboys Stadium, the YouTuber-turned-boxer fought the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion for an eight-round bout. Given it was her first time in the booth, Rosie Perez was understandably nervous. However, she received invaluable support from veterans Jones Jr. and Ward. During an interview, the actress reflected on the guidance she received and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

Recalling those moments, Perez shared that she was sitting next to Roy Jones Jr. The Olympic medalist and former world champion could gauge that she was a bit anxious. So he asked, “You all right?” When she responded, “I’m a bit overwhelmed,” the boxing legend explained that it was perfectly all right to feel so.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” said ‘Captain Hook’. Later, the Oscar-nominated actress remembered how Andre Ward also pitched in to support her. ‘S.O.G.’ said, “If you are ever in trouble, or you start to stutter, or you don’t know exactly what you want to say, just turn to Roy and say, “Hey Roy, what do you think about that?”

Rosie Perez mentioned adding that she followed the Olympic gold medalist’s counsel to the letter. Over a decade ago, Rosie Perez gained widespread recognition when she held the honorary role of the ‘grand marshal’ for the International Boxing Hall of Fame parade, which took place in Canastota, New York.

Rosie Perez: At the heart of the Mega-Fight and the Commentary Booth

Incidentally speaking about the fight, Rosie Perez, in an interview with ‘Variety’, said, “It’s going to be an interesting matchup. Jake Paul is in his late 20s, and Mike Tyson is 58. Three decades. It’s crazy.” She felt that it would be a tightly contested bout that could go either way. Many felt that Jake Paul, the younger and presumably stronger among the two, had the fight ‘in the bag’. He had even knocked out five (it’s actually 7) of his opponents. “But they all weren’t Mike Tyson,” she pointed out.

According to a detailed report shared by DAZN, Rosie Perez joined Roy Jones Jr. as the Paul-Tyson event’s ringside analysts. With Kate Scott (nee Abdo) taking over as the lead host, Andre Ward served as the show’s lead booth analyst. 2023 MMA Journalist of the Year award recipient Ariel Helwani was one of the reporters at the site. And interestingly, Mike Tyson’s son Amir Tyson took on the role of the preliminary card reporter.

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