Jack Paul has been in the spotlight since he entered the world of professional boxing. Now, Paul faces arguably the toughest test of his young career on Saturday night against UFC legend Anderson Silva (9 p.m. ET, Showtime PPV).
Silva is the first opponent Paul will face, and he will hit the ring with a professional boxing record – and that’s not including Paul’s rematch with Tyron Woodley. In fact, Silva’s victory over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez showed the former UFC middleweight champion’s ability to confuse opponents with his unorthodox moves in the ring.
When you’re fighting in martial arts, you have to be a little crazy. I was a little crazy too. The final press conference isn’t for everyone. “It’s a fight and I’m training hard to bring a game to everyone. wonderful performance. This fight is very special to me. I’m trying to do my best because I love fighting, I love my job, and now I’m free to do whatever I like. “
Some wondered why Silva decided to take the fight, and if it would change his outlook on the MMA scene. But the legend wasn’t worried about that, he just wanted to show how good he was at the age of 47.
“I don’t think it will affect my legacy in my martial arts journey. I’m doing my best to give something to the new generation,” Silva said. “Jack and I brought two generations together and people thought it would affect my legacy or Jack’s legacy, but I don’t think so because it’s about passion and love.
“Everyone was always like, ‘Are you sure you want to play Jake Paul? He beat a lot of people in the UFC.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I think I’m ready. He’s younger than me, but I’m a Superhero.’”
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Many believe Paul’s agent is trying to keep him away from Silva, the bigger, smarter, and more efficient forward Paul has faced so far. But the adventure has taken its toll and now Paul will be looking to take a big step forward and prove he continues to develop the skills necessary to make some noise as a serious boxer.
“Of course, there’s more pressure on my shoulders. I’m just A-side, I talk a lot of crap, and I think the whole MMA community is waiting for me to lose,” Paul said in his final press conference. “They wanted me to lose. I have a lot of great ideas and plans for the sport, and I’m just going to stay here forever. This is the beginning of it, and the pressure comes with it.”
The whole card is packed with young prospects looking to make their mark and more celebrity spots to keep some casual fans interested. 18-year-old super flyweight Ashton Sylvie returns to the ring in a bout with veteran Braulio Rodriguez. Vets Alexandro Santiago and Antonio Nieves will drop to bantamweight. Additionally, former UFC middleweight Uriah Hall made his professional boxing debut when he faced former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell. The festivities will begin with martial arts veteran Chris Avila, who will take on social media star Dr. Mike Varshawski coming on.
“Warriors fight, things change when you have to go out and you have to adapt. At the end of the day, we’re all fighters. He’s a tough guy. I know he’s confident,” Hall said at media day. “You can’t really focus on those negative positives from outside. You have to stay on set, I’m just looking forward to having some fun. It’s a challenge, it’s an improvement, it’s outside my comfort zone, and I love challenges.”
Before we move on to the main event predictions and tips, here are the full battle maps and the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
