Jake Paul has moved a step closer to a fight with Anderson Silva after being given the green light to hold it in California.
The YouTube star has become one of the biggest names in boxing since turning professional in 2020, but now must take a sizeable step-up in competition after dispatching each of his opponents. And Silva, who is 3-1 as a professional boxer including a scalp over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last summer, could be the perfect name.
However there would be concerns with some in the fighting world over putting 47-year-old Silva, who lost seven of his last nine UFC bouts, in against 25-year-old Paul. The YouTuber made short work of former Bellator champion Ben Askren and fellow social media star AnEsonGib, as well as viciously stopping basketball player Nate Robinson and ex-UFC title holder Tyron Woodley.
But the California State Athletic Commission's executive director Andy Foster has said that he would be willing to sanction a bout between the pair, given their recent outings in the ring. Silva landed a vicious knockout of Tito Ortiz in his own right last September, before a dominant outing against Bruno Machado in a Dubai exhibition last weekend.
"I think so," Foster replied when asked by host Ariel Helwani if he would sanction the bout during an appearance on The MMA Hour yesterday. "Jake can fight. The idea that he can't fight? He absolutely can fight.
"But Anderson Silva beat Chavez Jr down there and that was close, that's a real guy. And he beat him in Mexico a while back. He's in shape, he trains hard. I think that fight's reasonable. It depends on the fight rules, how many rounds."
Paul is generally known to compete over eight rounds, after his fights with AnEsonGib and Nate Robinson were set for six, but didn't go two. He has only gone the distance once in his career; against Woodley last summer, before knocking him out in a December rematch.
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Silva was also set for eight rounds against Ortiz before brutalising him inside one, and went the eight-round distance against Chavez Jr. He also went the eight-round distance against Machado on Saturday night in that exhibition, dropping him with a big right hand in the fifth.
Sanctioning issues will likely have cost Paul a fight with a different ex-UFC middleweight champion in Michael Bisping. Even the most liberal of states would struggle to allow him to face the Brit after he admitted that he has a fake eye, as well as severe issues with his knees.
There was also a dispute over an undercard bout that the YouTube star put together for his August fight with Woodley. In an effort to see rival Tommy Fury compete over eight rounds, he as the event's promoter made a fight between the Brit and his sparring partner Anthony Taylor which was cut to six and then just four rounds due to the disparity in their 6-0 and 0-1 records.
Paul's lopsided fight with Robinson took place under the California State Athletic Commission, and likely will have heightened awareness of who he faces next in their state. His brother Logan also made his professional boxing debut in the State against British YouTube star KSI.
