According to De La Hoya, if Paul hits Silva “he goes down and gets knocked out.”
Oscar De La Hoya knows more than a little about boxing, given that he spent 10 years as a champion before moving on to start Golden Boy Boxing, one of the more established promotions in the sport. According to his shrewd eye, he sees Jake Paul knocking out Anderson Silva when the two meet on October 29th.
Jake Paul’s past opponents have been pretty washed fighters, but Anderson Silva still seems to have some juice in him at 47 years old. Since retiring from MMA, “The Spider” beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via split decision and knocked out Tito Ortiz in the first round. His most recent bout, a boxing exhibition against Bruno Machado on the undercard of a Floyd Mayweather event in Dubai, was a veritable clinic.
Despite this, Silva is just a -150 favorite to Paul’s +120. That’s just what happens when you’re giving up 22 years and 20+ pounds to your opponent, we suppose. And if you want a boxing insider’s opinion, here’s what De La Hoya had to say about the bout.
“That’s a good fight,” Oscar said in an interview with Inside Fighting. “I’m gonna go with Jake Paul. Yeah, I’m gonna go with Jake Paul, just because he seems like he’s getting into the rhythm of things. He doesn’t have too many fights. He loves boxing, is a hard worker, and has a lot of power. If he connects with Silva, he’s going to knock him out. If he touches Silva, he’s going down.”
De La Hoya also dismissed Silva’s performances leading up to the Paul fight.
“Everybody’s going based on what Silva did to Julio César Chávez Jr. and Tito Ortiz,” he said. “Come on. I mean, Chávez Jr. Wasn’t even 20% of himself. Okay? Conditioning wise, physically, just wasn’t him.”
Oscar’s official prediction? Silva “goes down and gets knocked out.”
We’re not surprised that De La Hoya would pick the boxer over the MMA guy, even a boxer whose credentials are as iffy as Jake Paul’s. It may also have something to do with the fact that “The Golden Boy” wants in on some of that “Problem Child” action.
“Let’s talk Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz when he’s free from the UFC,” De La Hoya tweeted back in July. “Imagine the Golden Boy Boxing machine behind it? Will be huge!”
It’s not looking all that good for Oscar, though. Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotion has been working with Showtime as their boxing partner since the first Tyron Woodley fight in August 2021. But you never know in boxing: best friends become bitter enemies so fast in the sport, so best to keep on people’s good sides. It’s a lesson he definitely learned after crossing Dana White one too many times.