“If he connects with Silva he’s going to knock him out. If he touches Silva he’s going down.”
Boxer-turned-promoter Oscar De La Hoya believes underdog Jake Paul will add another UFC legend to his highlight reel when he takes on mixed martial arts icon and former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a boxing match on October 29.
Silva is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time and has shown, even at 47, that he can still dazzle in the boxing ring as evidenced by recent victories against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz, defeating the former via decision and the latter via knockout.
However, as crafty a veteran Silva is, De La Hoya doesn’t think ‘The Spider’s’ chin will hold up against the much younger, more explosive fighter in Paul who demonstrated his knockout power in 2021 with highlight-reel victories against Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, defeating both men via KO.
“That’s a good fight,” De La Hoya told Inside Fighting in a recent interview (h/t MMA News). “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.”
“Look, where everybody’s going based on what Silva did to Julio César Chávez Jr. and Tito Ortiz. Come on. I mean, Chávez Jr. Wasn’t even 20% of himself. Okay? Conditioning-wise, physically just wasn’t him,”
Paul vs. Silva is scheduled to take place on Oct. 29 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.