Jake
Paul‘s latest foray into boxing will see the
celebrity-turned-boxer go up against a mixed martial arts legend in
Anderson
Silva.
Ahead of their scheduled pairing on Saturday, the Arizona Boxing &
MMA Commission met on Thursday evening to discuss remarks Silva
made about being knocked out multiple times in training — comments
Silva
later walked back. The commission cleared Silva again for
competition, after requiring the 47-year-old to take additional
medical tests. Per
ESPN, the MRI that Silva submitted was “pristine” and his exams
went well enough to allow him to fight after all. The boxing match
will be held at a 187-pound catchweight. Silva was the first of the
two headliners to come to the scale, and came in joking around
while weighing 186.1 pounds. Paul later hit the scales at 186.5
pounds, making the main attraction official.
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A perfect 5-0 as a professional, Paul has made a name for himself
inside combat sports by going up against past-their-prime MMA
stars, fellow YouTubers and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson. Paul most
recently sent Tyron
Woodley to the shadow realm in their rematch with a vicious
knockout that led to “The Chosen One” joining former teammate
Ben
Askren on the wrong side of viral highlight reels. At their
press conference on Thursday, Paul offered Silva a wager that his
opponent accepted: should Silva win, they rematch in kickboxing. If
Paul wins, however, Silva will joining his former adversary in
creating a fighters’ association for MMA combatants with the goals
of increasing overall fighter pay and improving healthcare. Silva
agreed that he would serve as its interim president upon its
inception.
Since retiring from mixed martial arts with a record of 34 wins, 11
losses, and 1 NC, Silva (3-1) has revitalized his career in the
boxing ring. “Spider” impressively upset Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in
2021, and followed it up with a quick knockout of Tito Ortiz a
few months later. While Paul isn’t nearly as decorated a boxer as
Chavez Jr., he will be a larger opponent than the son of the
Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez.
Paul vs. Silva will air live on Saturday on Showtime pay-per-view
at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Paul vs. Silva Weigh-in Results:
Jake
Paul (186.5) vs. Anderson
Silva (186.1)
Ashton Sylve (132.4) vs. Braulio Rodriguez (132.5)
Alexandro Santiago (117.9) vs. Antonio Nieves (117.8)
Uriah
Hall (198.6) vs. Le’Veon Bell (197.6)
Chris
Avila (183.3) vs. Michael Varshavski (182.6)
Jeremiah Milton (248.2) vs. Quintin Sumpter (219.6)
Ogleidis Suarez (168.9) vs. Shadasia Green (169.2)
Danny Barrios Flores (122.5) vs. Edgar Ortiz Jr. (120.2)
Adrian Rodriguez (123) vs. Dominique Griffin (122.3)
Eliezer Silva (155.7) vs. Anthony Hannah (162.7)