Jake Paul beat an aged and semi-shot non-boxer, Anderson Silva, on Saturday night and proceeded to call out superstar Canelo Alvarez.
The “Problem Child” dropped and decision and MMA legend over eight rounds but went life or death the near 50-year-old.
A former UFC campaigner, “The Spider” Silva gave the Disney child actor all he could handle in a bruising encounter on SHOWTIME PPV.
The cruiserweight fight took place in front of 14,430 fans in the highest-grossing boxing event for ticket revenue in the history of the arena.
Round after round, Paul tried to solve the puzzle that is Silva, even though the boxing skills of both leave a lot to be desired.
Granted that Silva is one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, but his pugilism is questionable, even after a win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Paul managed to outwork the crafty veteran just on the CompuBox stats. However, he was still down on the scorecard of anyone with two eyes until a knockdown in the final round gave the judges an excuse to widen the cards.
A looping overhand right did the damage with 2:20 left in the eighth round. Paul won with far too one-sided scores of 78-73 from Dennis O’Connell, 77-74 from Paul Calderon, and 78-73 from Chris Wilson.
Anderson Silva was winning until the knockdown
With the knockdown, 76-75 would have been a more appropriate total, as they were on course for a Silva win or draw at best for the YouTuber.
Talking after the fight, Jake Paul went into his full delusional mode, as he tends to do when the adrenaline kicks into his brain cells.
“They’re going to find something to say. ‘Fight a real boxer.’ I tried,” said Paul. “If I were walking on water, people would say that I can’t swim.
“There’s always going to be haters. There are always going to be critics. It’s an everyday part of life if you’re doing something and succeeding.
“I don’t worry about it. This is just the start. I want Nate Diaz. Canelo, you too. You guys said, ‘You can’t beat a striker. You can’t beat a legend like Anderson Silva.’ I just did it. So why can’t I beat Canelo?”
To answer that question for Paul, you’ve got about two percent of the boxing knowledge and skill that Canelo Alvarez has. And that’s being generous.
To even mention his name is a disrespect to boxing.
Jake Paul enablers
However, Paul thanked his hand-picked opponent and again rode off into the sunset, believing he was an actual boxer. The enabling from those around him, and the network that gives him the platform, seems to be unrivaled.
“It’s a surreal moment. Hard work pays off. First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Anderson. He was my idol growing up. He inspired me to be great and was the first celebrity I ever met,” added the vlogging influencer and prankster.
“Without him, we wouldn’t have fought this year. He’s a tough mofo – a legend. I have nothing but respect for him.
“This goes to show that anyone watching at home who chases your dreams. It’s never too late.
“I started boxing two-and-a-half years ago as a pro and just beat one of the greatest ever [non-boxers] because I’m obsessed with this.”
Paul landed 51 of 121 power punches (44%), while Silva landed 66 of 176 of his power punches (38%).
The difference for Paul was his jab. He threw 215 of them, 140 more than Silva, and landed 32. Paul also was committed to the body, with 30 of his 83-power punches to the midsection.
Crazy commentary
Discussing his game plan, if there was one, Paul stated: “We were fighting in the clinch, and he got caught on the way out.
“He took so many hard shots throughout the whole fight. The dude is a real dog. You see what happens to everyone else that gets hit with that.
“He’s the toughest guy in the world, but I just wanted it more. I’m a real dog and left it all in the ring.”
The saddest part about the whole event was the commentary team, who undoubtedly took coaching on how to react to the fight.
Paul could have been Sugar Ray Robinson, Roy Jones Jr., or Vasiliy Lomachenko, the way the Showtime team put him on a pedestal.
The circus rolls on until Paul fights a boxer with a pulse. Those who truly love the sport dearly will certainly be waiting for that day with bated breath.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Furthermore, follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
