Youtuber turned professional boxer Jake “The Problem Child” Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) dismantled former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva (3-2, 2 KOs) via unanimous decision in an eight-round boxing match Saturday night live on Showtime PPV from Glendale, Ariz.
The UFC legend, now 47-years-old, showed elements of the fighting style his MMA fans are familiar with as he danced around, threw flurries of punch combinations, and toyed with Paul at times during the fight. However, the much younger Paul landed his own meaningful shots throughout the bout and even sent Silva to the canvas in the final round.
Despite Paul’s attempts at facing established professional boxers in the past, so far most of his fights have been against retired UFC veterans. Anderson was his toughest test to date and Paul passed with flying colors. You have to give the 25-year-old Cleveland native his props. Paul is vying for a fight against Nate Diaz next but also has his sights set on one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best at some point.
Following his win over Silva, Paul called out 32-year-old Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (58-2-2, 38 KOs):
“And you, too, Canelo. You’re getting old. You looked weird against Triple-G. I still want that fight as well. And I think now, like I said it 18 months ago, ‘I want Canelo!’ And then everyone, I was sitting in a room just like this said, and everyone was like, ‘[Laughing at me]. F**king idiot, yeah.’ And then now, 18 months later, here we are. And when I say that, maybe people are taking it a little bit more seriously now. And I still mean it. And I still want that fight.”
-Jake Paul
Obviously Canelo is a whole different beast than the types of opponents Jake Paul has been fighting thus far. Even if Paul scores an unlikely win over Nate Diaz, stepping into the ring against Alvarez seems pretty absurd considering the multiple weight class world champion’s impressive resume.
Although Paul has been shutting down the naysayers since he began fighting professionally in 2020, Canelo presents a problem “The Problem Child” is certainly not ready for. Will he be ready in another year? Two years? Ever? That remains to be seen. But at this time, at this age, with his current experience, Paul might not even survive.