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. 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.
While Silva increased his activity after a slow start against Paul, the YouTube star improved as the cruiserweight contest wore on, and he dropped the Brazilian in the last of the eight rounds to wrap up a points victory. “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.” Paul then called out UFC icon Nate Diaz, who was involved in an altercation near Paul’s locker room at the Desert Diamond Arena.
Re-live fight updates from Paul vs Silva below, as well as all the fallout from Katie Taylor’s latest win: