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’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.
During a recent interview with IF, Oscar De La Hoya was asked about the upcoming match between the two:
“ I’m gonna go with Jake Paul. Yeah, I’m gonna go with Jake Paul, just because he seems like he’s getting into the rhythm of things.”
” He loves boxing, is a hard worker, and has a lot of power. If he connects with Silva, he’s going to knock him out. If he touches Silva, he’s going down.” De La Hoya said.
He also talked about Silva being able to defeat Ortiz and Chavez and said it’s simply because the two are also retired athletes.
“Everybody’s going based on what Silva did to Julio César Chávez Jr. and Tito Ortiz. Come on. I mean, Chávez Jr. Wasn’t even 20% of himself. Okay? Conditioning-wise, physically, just wasn’t him. [Against Paul, Silva] goes down and gets knocked out.” He added.