GLENDALE, Ariz. — Combat sports has a long history of older fighters being fed to the next rising young lion. In just his sixth professional fight, Jake Paul did his best to ensure the youth was served on Saturday night against MMA legend Anderson Silva.
Paul (6-0, 4 KO), the 25-year-old social media influencer turned boxer, rallied for a final-round knockdown to cement an eight-round unanimous decision in the main event of a Showtime card Desert Diamond Arena PPV. Paul won scores of 77-74 and 78-73 (twice) against Silva, 47, the former UFC middleweight champion.
“It’s a surreal moment. Hard work pays off,” Paul said. “I want to say thank you to Anderson. He was my idol growing up and he inspired me to be awesome. Without him we wouldn’t have a fight this year. He’s a tough mofo, like for real. J I have a lot of respect for him.”
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Paul has long been criticized for his surprising turn to pugilism for not fighting a real boxer. He tried twice to close out 2021 but scheduled fights against Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. fell apart. A fight with Silva (3-2, 2 KOs in boxing), an opponent many Paul critics said would never fight, suddenly came together, fueled by Silva’s 2021 upset against the former middleweight titleholder Julio Caesar Chavez Jr.
Silva, from Brazil, played throughout and appeared to steal a few tight rounds as he rallied to support Paul in the final 30 seconds with power shots. But Paul’s size and youth ultimately won out as Silva was forced to fight largely in spots due to his age.
“I worked hard to make a special show for everyone here,” Silva said. “I say thank you to everyone for coming. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but I keep training hard because I was born for it.”
Paul edged Silva, 83 to 79, according to CompuBox. He floored Silva in round 8 with a counter right hand and landed 42% of his power shots overall (including a 30-13 advantage to the body.
Paul embraced Silva after the fight with the Brazilian legend, telling him: “Nobody can talk about you, trust me. Nobody can talk about you.”
The performance was largely mature from Paul, who showed legitimate improvement from his last performance, a late knockout of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in their late 2021 rematch.
Controlling much of the second half of the fight with three-punch combinations that started at the body and ended in straight crosses upstairs, Paul continued to show what time and dedication can do.
“If I walked on water, people would say I can’t swim. There will always be enemies, but I don’t worry about that shit,” Paul said. “It goes to show that even if you’re 47, chase your dreams. It’s not too late. I’m obsessed with it and I go so hard at it every day. If you work hard, you can make your dreams come true Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
“[Silva] took so many hard knocks throughout the fight. Dude was a dog. He was the toughest guy but I just wanted him more.”
After the win, Paul focused on calling Nate Diaz, who is expected to become a free agent after his UFC contract expires, and boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez. Diaz’s fight is much more realistic and seeds have already been planted as members of Paul and Diaz’s team engaged in a backstage brawl shortly after Diaz’s teammate Chris Avila scored a victory to open the PPV map.
“Nate Diaz is a bitch. He tried to beat me in my locker room and then left the arena,” Paul said. “So Nate Diaz, don’t be a bitch. Come fight me.
“Anyone, anytime, anywhere. Anyone! Anytime! Anywhere!”
CBS Sports was with you the whole way Saturday, so be sure to tune in to live results and highlights below.
Fight card, results
Paul vs. Silva scoreboard, live coverage
| Paul | ten | 9 | ten | 9 | 9 | 9 | ten | ten | 76 |
| Silva | 9 | ten | 9 | ten | ten | ten | 9 | 8 | 75 |
