At 8 p.m. ET Friday night, boxing fans from around the world turned on Netflix to watch the highly-anticipated fight between 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Fans were expecting lots of taunting, lots of action, and very little respect between the combatants.
However, fans may not have expected to see an Oscar nominee as part of the broadcast team.
Who is Rosie Perez?
An esteemed actress and choreographer, Perez has worked with some of the biggest names in music and Hollywood. Perez is most famous for her work as an actress, earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in 1993 for her work in the film ‘Fearless.’ Perez ultimately lost the Oscar to Anna Paquin in ‘The Piano’. Perez was also nominated for a Golden Globe for that performance.
Perez would go on to earn an Emmy nomination in 2021 for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Megan Briscoe in ‘The Flight Attendant.’
Aside from her work as an actress, Perez has choreographed numerous music videos and concerts for music stars like Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, and LL Cool J. She has three Emmy nominations (1990, 1992, 1993) for Outstanding Work in Choreography on the show ‘In Living Color.’
Rosie Perez age
Perez is 60 years old. She was born September 6, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York.
Rosie Perez boxing expertise, fandom
Perez has been a boxing fan from a very young age. Although, she was forced to hide her fandom for many years. In a recent interview with Mike Tyson, Perez revealed that she never really expressed her fanaticism ‘because when (Perez) mentioned it (to people), they would say, ‘How can you support a barbaric sport?”
That didn’t stop Perez’s love for boxing though. In fact, Perez felt engrained in boxing from a very young age. In 2018, Perez told the New York Times, ‘It was a cultural thing.’ She added, ‘When I grew up, it seemed like if you were Puerto Rican, you were always watching boxing. We watched boxing and baseball, but boxing just spoke to me in a certain way as a young kid. And it still does.’
Perez could, and still can, often be seen ringside at even smaller boxing events in her home state of New York. She even made an effort to learn to box after experiencing a lot of bullying growing up. ‘I learned how to box because I used to get beat up a lot. And I was scrappy. I would always fight back all the time, even though I would lose,’ she told The Guardian in 2022. Perez still trains to this day, although she does not participate in any fights.
Her love for boxing and expertise in the sport has earned her the nickname ‘The First Lady of Boxing.’
Who is broadcasting Tyson vs. Paul fight with Rosie Perez?
Alongside Perez is Canadian play-by-play commentator and popular combat sports broadcaster Mauro Ranallo as well as former heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr – an opponent of Tyson’s in a 2020 exhibition match. Tyson’s son, Amir Tyson, will serve as a ringside reporter.
Britis sportscaster Kate Scott will also serve on the broadcast team, operating as the main host of the event. Former boxing champion Andre Ward will be the lead booth analyst, while Ariel Helwani will serve as a reporter.
Reactions to Perez’s commentary
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