Jake Paul has "lost faith in his generation" after being accused of "fixing" his fight against Anderson Silva.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 25, picked up his sixth professional win this past weekend by dropping Silva on the way to a points win against him. Paul had a much improved outing compared to his last fight against another ex-UFC champion Tyron Woodley as he outboxed Silva over eight rounds with the judges scoring it 77-74, 78-73 and 78-73 in his favour after the final bell.
A portion of fans have since downplayed Paul's win against the 47-year-old by accusing him of fixing the fight, with those same critics also claiming the punch that dropped Silva "didn't land". Paul has responded to the claims by citing praise he received from WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman and legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas for the win.
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“I think smart people with intelligence are giving me props and respect," Paul said on The MMA Hour. "The WBC President said that anyone who says Jake is not a real boxer is just bitter and is a hater. People like Teddy Atlas showing me mad respect, a lot of fighters showing me mad respect, a lot of MMA guys texting me saying, ‘You look really sharp, that was the best you’ve fought.’
"Ryan Garcia showing me respect, so the smart people who I care about are showing that love. There are the people who will always be there in my career who are discrediting it. Now, they’re saying it was rigged. It went from, ‘Jake’s going to get knocked out by Anderson,’ to 'oh, that was rigged.’"
Paul, who is hoping to fight again in the first few months of 2023, called out Nate Diaz and undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez after his win. 'The Problem Child' has continued to challenge himself against tougher opponents since making his professional debut two and a half years ago and is frustrated that some fans try to undermine his hard work.
“I lose faith in my generation and my peers and us as a society and a world when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity," Paul added. "It just sucks. It sucks because I worked so hard for this. I dedicate everything, sacrifice everything, every single day, bust my balls, have a 15-person team working around the clock to help me become the best boxer possible, and when I do something like beating Anderson Silva, they try to take it away from me. But I know deep down, and I guess that’s all that really matters.”
