Anderson Silva told a fan in a now-deleted Instagram comment he will be fighting Jake Paul in his next boxing outing.
The former UFC middleweight champion is a legendary fighter and has reinvented himself in the boxing world after being dropped from the MMA promotion in 2020 amid a disastrous run of form. He went 1-7 after his record-breaking title run was ended by Chris Weidman in 2013, but has won his two professional boxing fights since returning to the ring last year.
The first of those wins was an impressive scalp over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr by split decision in Mexico. He followed that up with a vicious knock out over ex-UFC champion Tito Ortiz on Evander Holyfield's return card, and a completely dominant performance in a scoreless exhibition against Bruno Machado on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs Don Moore.
Rumours have been swirling over the past few days that Paul would be facing Silva in his ring return after ten months out of action, and the Brazilian appeared to confirm it in an Instagram comment yesterday. A fan asked him under a video "Seriously Jake Paul?" And Silva responded "yes", indicating that the bout is happening.
However, he has since deleted that comment, and the post now simply shows that fan seemingly responding to himself by asking Silva if it was an exhibition or full professional bout which garnered no reply. Paul only competes in legitimate professional contests and wouldn't take an exhibition unless against the likes of Mike Tyson, so the bout will likely be a full eight-round fight.
Silva ticks a number of boxes for the 5-0 former YouTube and Disney Channel star, offering him his first opponent with a winning record and standing at 6'2" with an inch-longer reach, meaning Paul faces someone bigger for the first time. However, at 47-years-old and coming from the world of MMA, fans are still critical of the American for not taking on a legitimate challenge.
Who do you think wins; Jake Paul or Anderson Silva? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
In a recent social media post, Paul told critics to "keep underestimating" him, with an announcement seemingly imminent this week. He has been out of action since December 18 when he knocked out Tyron Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champion, who had never boxed prior to their two matches.
Reports indicate that the bout will take place on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona, which means Paul will have been out of action for over ten months upon his ring return. He was due to face Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr both on August 6, but neither bout transpired due to various reasons.
Silva was last out in May on Mayweather's undercard, where he brutalised Bruno Machado and dropped him over eight rounds before the bout was ruled a draw due to no judges scoring it. He is believed to be a tough test for Paul given his size and boxing credentials.
