.@SpiderAnderson
wins a split decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.!!!!!77-75 77-75 (For Silva) 75-77 (For Chavez Jr)#TributetotheKings
PPV: https://t.co/ZUiLgsTmuO
pic.twitter.com/7bda85FU9l
— FITE (@FiteTV)
June 20, 2021
Anderson
Silva shocked the world in his first professional boxing match
since 2005.
The former UFC middleweight champion upset Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
via split decision (75-77, 77-75, 77-75) in an eight-round bout at
Jalisco Stadium in Guadalarjara, Mexico as part of the “Tribute to
the Kings” pay-per-view event on Saturday night. The bout was
contested at 182 pounds, but Chavez Jr., a former WBC champion,
foreited $100,000 of his purse to Silva after missing weight by 2.4
pounds on Friday.
According to most accounts, “The Spider” didn’t find a rhythm until
after the third round, when the Brazilian began to taunt his
opponent and drop his hands. Despite just two prior pro bouts to
his credit, Silva began to have success landing combinations and a
crisp jab beginning in the fourth round. In the seventh stanza,
Silva opened a cut near Chavez Jr.’s right eye. When all was said
and done, Silva held a 99-to-53 advantage in total punches and a
60-to-41 edge in power shots, according to CompuBox.
“I feel so happy,” Silva said afterwards (quotes via
MMAFighting.com). “I need to say thank you cause my coach
worked with me a lot. I need to this because I love fighting and
boxing is my dream for many, many years and I need to prove my
respect for boxing. I can’t come in here and not do my best.”
Chavez Jr., meanwhile, disagreed with the final verdict.
“It could have been draw,” Chavez Jr. said. “I failed to throw more
punches. He didn’t really do much damage. But it was enough for a
draw.”
Silva exited the UFC following a fourth-round TKO loss to Uriah
Hall in the UFC Fight Night 181 headliner this past October.
Regarded as one of MMA’s pound-for-pound greats, “The Spider” won
just one of his final nine UFC appearances dating back to 2013. In
his return to the Sweet Science, Silva was more successful than
some of his MMA peers who have attempted to transition to boxing in
recent years.
“Boxing is a traditional sport,” Silva explained. “When people try
to fight boxing, the people need to understand this is not easy.
This is not the same as MMA. MMA is one sport, boxing is a
different sport. Jiu-jitsu is a different sport. When you go into
different disciplines, you need to take respect and train hard.
“Because you can’t come to boxing if you don’t show respect for
boxing. This is respect. This is martial [arts] respect. This is
fight respect. You need to respect that.”
Now 46 years old, Silva wasn’t ready to completely commit to
another boxing match — or any other decisions regarding his combat
sports future.
“I don’t know,” Silva said. “Now, I go back to my home and my son
has a fight very soon, a kickboxing fight and I’ll go help my son.
Maybe I fight jiu-jitsu, maybe I fight gi or no-gi, maybe I have
next boxing fight. I don’t know. Right now, my focus is helping my
son.
“Let me tell you something, I don’t have nothing more to prove to
anybody. The boxing community have shown me respect, for my
opponent I showed my respect, for the people here in Mexico. I love
Mexico. I don’t know. Maybe I fight again in boxing. I’m free right
now. I’m a free man. I try to do my best in everything I do in my
life. My focus right now is to help my son. My son has a fight very
soon and I’ll go help my son in training. I’m training my son for
his next fight. The future is amazing. Everything is possible.
Maybe I fight again or not. Right now my focus is enjoy my day and
help my son to the next fight.”