Jake Paul has the support of his recent promoter rival heading into his next boxing match.
While Paul hasn’t stepped foot in the ring yet in 2022, he’s stayed around the boxing game as a promoter for top female boxer, Amanda Serrano. Partnering with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, the two put together the long-awaited super fight between Serrano and Katie Taylor in April 2022.
Scheduled to return to action on Aug. 6, 2022, Paul’s match with Hasim Rahman Jr. fell through and has now led him to an Oct. 29, 2022, showdown with former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight kingpin, Anderson Silva. The match up is expected to be Paul’s toughest thus far in the squared circle, but Hearn still envisions “The Problem Child” walking away victorious.
“I don’t know enough about Anderson Silva — Anderson is [47], but he can box a bit by the sound of things,” Hearn told The MMA Hour. “I just think that Jake’s been a bit unlucky because he was trying to fight Tommy Fury, he was trying to fight Hasim Rahman Jr., and that would have actually given him the ability to say, ‘Actually, you have to respect me now as a boxer.’
“To defeat Anderson Silva, while boxing is still a very impressive part of his repertoire, he’s still not a boxer, and he’s 47 years of age,” he continued. “But he’s a tough guy, he has a huge profile, he can box, and I think he’ll be competitive. I don’t think he beats Jake, because I think Jake is young, and I think he can punch a bit, and I’m intrigued to watch, and I like what Jake’s doing. It’s kind of him against the world.”
For Paul, 25, the match will be his sixth as a professional after last picking up wins over former mixed martial arts (MMA) champions, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Ben Askren. Silva will enter in three matches (one exhibition) removed from his UFC career.