Claressa Shields wants UFC legend Anderson Silva to knockout Jake Paul inside the boxing ring.
Paul and Shields have a history with one another, as Paul made some disparaging comments about her following her first mixed martial arts (MMA) loss this past October.
However, they seemingly put that behind them soon after, exchanging kind words about one another through social media and interviews. Apparently, that’s all over and done with.
Shields was recently interviewed by The Schmo and offered her thoughts on a potential boxing match between the ex-UFC middleweight champion Silva, and the YouTube star-turned-boxer.
If the fight does take place, Shields would really like to see Silva knockout Paul inside the squared circle.
“I want Anderson Silva to knock out Jake Paul,” Shields said. “That’s what I want. And I believe he’s the guy to do it.
“I think Jake Paul has fought against Tyron Woodley, who is a great guy, great MMA fighter, but Silva has shown that he’s a really really good boxer, even though he has an MMA background.
“So I would love to see him fight a Jake Paul. I think both guys are really enhancing their skills, I just don’t really like Jake Paul like that.
“So I want him and Anderson Silva to fight, and I want Anderson Silva to win.”
Shields does maintain, however, that she respects what Paul has done for boxing, and women’s boxing in particular, but thinks he needs to show a bit more respect for the sport when calling out the likes of Canelo Álvarez.
“I like what Jake Paul is doing,” Shields said. “He’s brought a whole bunch of attention to boxing, and women’s boxing. It’s just about him respecting the sport.
“And if you’re going to be calling out Canelo and that kind of stuff, you have to at least fight against a real fighter and not be using everybody’s name for clout.”
Silva holds a 4-1 record as a professional boxer. His first professional fight took place in 1998, but he was defeated after the first round via RTD.
He bounced back in 2005 with a return against Julio Cesar De Jesus, knocking him out in the second round.
After ending his 14-year run with the UFC, Silva returned to boxing in June of 2021, defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via split decision. He then took on fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz on September 11 of last year, knocking him out in the first round.
Paul made his professional boxing debut in January of 2020, and has since gone undefeated, with a current record of 5-0.
Although two of his wins come over a fellow YouTube star and ex-NBA star, he does own wins over former MMA champions.
“The Problem Child” knocked out Ben Askren in the first round of their April 2021 meeting. He then picked up back-to-back wins over Tyron Woodley, the latter of which being a knockout win.
Both Paul and Silva have expressed interest in boxing each other down the line, however, it looks like Paul might be fighting Tommy Fury first.
Continue Reading Shields Changes Tune On Jake Paul, Wants Silva To KO Him at MMA News.