Jake Paul has announced his next opponent. Paul declared that he intends to box former UFC champion Anderson Silva, on October 29.
Paul has been on an extended hiatus because his previous two boxing bouts were called off.
First, he announced a contest with Tommy Fury which fell apart due to the US entry ban on Fury. After that, he announced a replacement opponent in Hasim Rahman Jr, but that too could not take place because Hasim Rahman could not meet a contracted weight limit.
Paul and Silva will meet on October 29 in Arizona for a 187lbs boxing main event.
Paul’s boxing coach BJ Flores questioned the validity of Silva as an opponent over a month ago.
Silva is one of the greatest champions in the UFC, but the age factor is undeniable considering he is 47 now.
Flores also mentioned his age when he confronted a Twitter user.
What Jake Paul’s Coach said a few weeks ago 😅 pic.twitter.com/6b7fvWX1rm
— ksi (@KSI) September 6, 2022
Silva’s credibility as an opponent should never be questioned because the guy is one of the most dominant UFC superstars.
He is the longest reigning champion in the history of UFC. He held the middleweight championship for 2457 days spanning 16 victories. Silva was released from UFC in 2020 after losing 5 out of his previous bouts.
The following year he announced a return to Combat sports, this time in a boxing ring and defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in his first outing. Later he defeated former UFC champion Tito Ortiz in a boxing event. He even dominated his exhibition against Bruno Machado. Paul is now his 4th test in the boxing ring.
On the other side, Paul is also dominant in his boxing matches having and won 4 out of his five bouts via knockout. Paul is heavily criticized for choosing opponents past their prime, and undersized compare to himself, but this time he took a bold step in selecting someone with this much credibility. Paul and Silva face each other in eight rounds main event this coming October.