Former pound-for-pound boxing great Roy Jones Jr could sneak in as UFC legend Anderson Silva's next opponent, instead of Jake Paul.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer is set to make his return to the boxing ring on August 13, with a further announcement expected next week. He has touted Silva as a possible opponent, and took to social media over the weekend to call out the legendary ex-middleweight champion after his exhibition bout with Bruno Machado in Dubai.
Silva dominated proceedings over eight rounds against his fellow Brazilian, dropping him in the fifth and controlling the ring in the co-main event of Floyd Mayweather's comeback bout with Don Moore. But no winner was declared due to the fight being an exhibition and Silva remained 3-1 as a professional boxer.
After the event, Paul shared a photo showing himself as an exterminator, ready to take out spiders, referencing Silva's famous nickname. He then tweeted that he could beat Silva and Mayweather in the same night in a more pointed call towards the legendary fighters.
But Paul wasn't the only one showing interest in an eventual fight with Silva after his latest outing. The legendary former pound-for-pound great Roy Jones Jr took to social media to share his thoughts on the fight and declare his own interest in finally making a fight happen with the Brazilian.
"I see you Anderson," Jones wrote in an Instagram post. "I’m impressed so I ain’t going to sleep on you. Just in case. Lol. Stay ready so I don’t have to get ready. Lol. But good work though. Congratulations."
During Silva's UFC heyday, there was constant talk of a potential crossover fight between he and Jones, but the promotion were staunchly against cross-promoting at the time. It took until 2017, years after the initially teased match-up between Jones and Silva, for boss Dana White to agree to allow Conor McGregor to face Floyd Mayweather and the Brazilian never got to pursue the option.
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At the time, Jones declared that White was keeping Silva from achieving his "dream" of getting a fight with the former multiple-weight world champion. The fight came close to happening in 2013 when White offered Jones ringside seats to watch Silva defend his middleweight title against Chris Weidman, but he was knocked out in a stunning upset.
After losing to Weidman on that night at UFC 162 he never fully recovered, breaking his leg during the rematch and losing seven of nine fights before the promotion let him go in 2020. But he has enjoyed a career resurgence in the boxing ring over the past year with some impressive outings.
He brought his professional record to 3-1 with an upset victory over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and a vicious knockout of ex-MMA star Tito Ortiz last year. And his performance against Machado in Dubai was similarly impressive, even though no winner was announced.
