Jake Paul may have evaded justice inside the ring thus far, but his next 187-pound catchweight bout against UFC icon Anderson Silva might be a slight miscalculation on the social media personality’s part. Despite the fact the latter is 47 years of age, fast approaching 48, and has only recently crossed over to pure boxing.
As some of you may know, Jake Paul has strategically padded his career with wins against opponents who sound good on paper as opposed to actual boxers; compiling a professional record of 5-0 against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, retired NBA player Nate Robinson, retired Bellator + ONE champion welterweight Ben Askren, and retired UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (twice).
For a myriad of reasons, ranging from a being predominantly wrestlers by trade, meme-level reputation for sub-par striking, to recovering from surgery, sacrificing size, and being plain old gun-shy, the latter two names weren’t nearly the challenge many had assumed.
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Anderson Silva, on the other hand, has forced himself to undergo something of a trial by fire. Most notably having defeated the 53-6-1 Julio César Chávez Jr via split decision – Chávez Jr, of course, being the son of the legendary Julio César Chávez and an entire decade younger than The Spider – and to an extent, his fellow aging UFC legend in Tito Ortiz by first-round knockout.
“Every expert, from MMA to boxing, has said Jake Paul won’t fight Anderson Silva,” said Jake Paul.
“They said Jake Paul is afraid of Anderson Silva, and Jake Paul would lose to Anderson Silva. Well, to all the non-believers – Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest UFC striker of all time.”
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“On Saturday, October 29, I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend and do my best to exterminate “The Spider.”
“I know that in life everything has its purpose,” said Anderson Silva.
“Nothing comes just by chance. So, I thank God for my health, my family and my team for providing me with this opportunity to continue doing the thing that I love the most.
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“I believe this will be the biggest combat event of the year and will truly make history in the sport forever. See you on October 29.”
This latest development isn’t exactly a shock to many. Perhaps because it’s been in the works for some time now. Perhaps because boxing already experienced it’s jumping-the-shark moment with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather Jr, and then again with the bout between Jake’s older brother Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In any case, as announced by both Showtime Sports and Paul’s own company Most Valuable Promotions, Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva is scheduled to go down on October 29th at Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona (eight rounds). The event will air live via pay-per-view on Showtime.
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