By: Sean Crose
It appears Jake Paul has found his next opponent. After having his scheduled August pay per view card collapse because two opponents, Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr, weren’t able to fulfill pre fight requirements – such as making weight and being able to actually show up – it appears Paul now has a foe who will be able to answer the opening bell. For numerous outlets are now reporting that Paul is set to fight former UFC legend and pro boxer Anderson Silva next month on a Showtime pay per view card. If these reports prove to be true, the matchup is actually rather interesting.
While he’s now closer to 50 than to 40, Silva has proven to be pretty skilled in the boxing ring. This perhaps shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise since the man did indeed box professionally briefly before focusing his energies on mixed martial arts. What’s more, in his prime Silva was nothing if not a fighter to behold. Known as “Spider,” the man was known to perform jaw dropping feats while operating inside the octagon. There had indeed been talk, years back, of Silva facing Roy Jones in the boxing ring.
As for social media influencer turned boxer Paul, he’s proven to be a bit of a pleasant surprise in that he actually has shown he takes boxing seriously. He trains hard, genuinely appears to want to keep getting better and has a right hand that can turn out the lights. Paul’s last fight saw him perform a highlight reel knockout of another former UFC great, Tyrone Woodley. Paul has yet, however, to face an actual boxer in the ring. Yet if Silva doesn’t exactly fit the description of a legitimate if not technically professional boxer, then he comes terribly, terribly close. Again, there’s that boxing background, along with a few impressive wins in the ring.
What might make this matchup – if it amounts to more than an internet rumor – more than a simple novelty bout is that each fighter will have something genuine at stake. Should Silva win, he will have successfully popped the Paul balloon, which has frankly been flying rather high lately. Should Paul win, however, it will make for a rather deflating mark on what has otherwise been Silva’s amazing combat sport resume. Again, this one will matter to the two fighters involved. And that makes it intriguing.