Once again, I’ve been asked to put in my two cents to find Lenar Perez’s next opponent. The next fight for the Eye of the Tiger Management prospect is scheduled for November at the Montreal Casino, and the question is becoming more and more interesting: who can actually move the needle for the young cruiserweight?
Meanwhile, Jai Opetaia and David Benavidez have already started laying the groundwork for a potential showdown in 2027. If these two men occupy the top two spots in the 200-pound hierarchy, it’s time to start thinking about number three. And if Perez wants to firmly establish himself in that position, he needs an opponent who matches his ambitions.
So I dug through BoxRec, analyzed the records of the main candidates, and spoke with a few experts in the industry. Here are the ten opponents who, in my opinion, could represent the most logical options for Perez in November.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Lenar Perez
The Local Fights (2 for the Price of 1)
Canada Edition
Everyone is asking for it. I was actually at the casino for the win over Thabiso Mchunu, signing autographs in the elevator when a group of fans asked me to write to Camille Estephan about a fight between Ryan Rozicki and Lenar Perez. It would be such a perfect matchup. We all remember his all-out war against Oscar Rivas during COVID. On top of that, he just made it to the seventh round against Chris Billam-Smith. The Cape Breton boxer has a record of 21-2-1 with 20 wins by KO and is ranked 17th by BoxRec. Rozicki in the casino’s small ring? It would be absolutely wild, as Christian M’Billi would say.
Photo: Three Lions Promotion – Ryan Rozicki
Cuba Edition
If I look toward Cuba, if only for the opportunity to travel there this winter, I find plenty of highly ranked boxers — Mike Perez, ranked #9 by BoxRec, is my favorite choice. In his last fight, Lenar Perez hit the canvas against Mchunu; believe me, the EOTM executives are no pushovers and will want to find out before Christmas Eve whether their boxer has what it takes for them to invest in him in 2027. Mike Perez, besides sharing the same last name and following Lenar in the BoxRec rankings, is one hell of a boxer. He hasn’t lost since 2017, with his only defeat at cruiserweight coming against Mairis Briedis, in a very close fight with the WBC title on the line.
Let me warn you… if this happens, it would be extremely dangerous, especially in the ring at the Montreal Casino.
Yuniel Dorticos is already booked for October, but I would keep an eye on him if his fight gets canceled. The KO doctor is also Cuban and has a record of 28-3 with 26 KOs. All of his losses came in hard-fought battles against Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev, and Gilberto Ramirez. Every time, he was fighting abroad — Montreal certainly isn’t going to intimidate him.
Author’s comment: I’m not holding back here, but when you say Lenar Perez is the No. 3 fighter in the world behind David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia, you have to take some risks when choosing his opponents.
Photo: Los Angeles Daily News – Mike Perez (left)
The Artificial Intelligence Pick
My top choice would be Jack Massey.
At 200 pounds, I would favor an opponent who brings experience, durability, and enough ability to force Perez to actually box, without the fight prematurely becoming a world-class matchup. I like Massey because he is capable of going the distance, he has seen a wide variety of styles, and he would give Perez exactly what he needs right now: meaningful rounds against a guy who isn’t simply going to show up to survive.
What Will Happen
If I look at the clues, this won’t be a championship fight. It will take place at the Montreal Casino, which immediately rules out candidates who will demand too much money. For Jordan Mathieu, the matchmaker tasked with finding the opponent, the perfect value-for-money option therefore becomes Isaac Chamberlain: he checks all the boxes, ranked 48th by BoxRec, and has never been stopped despite facing heavy hitters like Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith. A solid 6-foot-2 boxer who has been around the block. He would be my first choice.
Photo: BoxingScene – Jack Massey (left)
Laurent’s Verdict
November is approaching, and the Montreal Casino has never been the place to give anyone a free pass. EOTM knows this very well: at this stage, Perez no longer needs a stepping-stone opponent; he needs a test. Between the dream of a Rozicki-style war, the real danger of a highly ranked Cuban name, and the cold logic of a casino budget, my gut tells me we’ll land on someone like Chamberlain: solid enough to reveal something about Perez, yet reasonable enough not to derail 2027 before it even begins. If Eye of the Tiger is truly aiming for the third spot behind Opetaia and Benavidez, this is exactly the kind of fight they cannot afford to lose.
