Jake Paul stayed unbeaten in his professional boxing venture on Saturday night, outpointing UFC legend Anderson Silva after knocking down the Brazilian in the final round.
YouTube star Paul, 25, was a victor on all three judges’ scorecards after the full eight rounds (77-74, 78-73, 78-73), improving his record to 6-0 (4 knockouts).
Prior to the cruiserweight main event in Arizona, the American had knocked out each opponent he had faced, including former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in his last fight – 10 months ago. Meanwhile, 47-year-old Silva entered the Desert Diamond Arena with a 3-1 pro boxing record and a points win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to his name.
Ex-UFC middleweight champion Silva, seen as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, was surprisingly inactive in the first round of this cruiserweight clash with Paul, who won the frame on activity alone. While southpaw Silva landed a short overhand left late in the round – the best shot of the opening minutes – Paul’s forward pressure and jab put him ahead early.
Silva immediately increased his activity in Round 2, however, staying light on his feet and backing up feints with combinations. The next round was arguably the most competitive of the fight, as Paul’s output became untidy while he was swarmed by Silva, before the American fired back with decent combinations late on.
Silva began to take over the fight over the course of the next few rounds, but Paul arrested momentum in the sixth, as his opponent began to decrease his output. Paul took advantage of Silva’s lack of activity, focusing on combinations to the body and overhand rights, and the 25-year-old looked to be on course for a decision win as the final round started.
Silva, seemingly knowing he needed a finish, applied intense pressure and backed up Paul, but it was in that spell that the American dropped the Brazilian with a counter overhand right. Silva fell backwards and hit the canvas but maintained composure, soon standing but sporting blood around his nose.
Silva, to his credit, was undeterred in the final moments as he sought a stoppage, but the bout went to the judges’ scorecards, all of which favoured Paul.
“It’s a surreal moment,” Paul said after the fight. “Hard work pays off. I want to thank Anderson Silva; he was my hero growing up. He took so many hard shots over the fight. He’s a dog.
“If I walked on water, they would say, ‘He can’t swim,’” Paul added, before calling out UFC icon Nate Diaz, whose team were involved in a backstage incident near Paul’s locker room.
