Jake Paul def. Anderson Silva (fighters, boxing, training, skills)

[OutdoorLover]

So I don't like Jake Paul - who has consistently overstated his prowess for years now. That said, I have to acknowledge that Paul is not just a YouTube celebrity, he is an athlete, or, he's become one. He's been training with professional coaches and boxers for some years now, and he is in great shape and he hits hard. He has been developing for several years now, and improving.

His boxing opponents, which was initially a basketball player, have gradually increased in ability. Now, he's still not fighting top boxers of his size and age. But, when you take on Anderson Silva, who is a good sized man, with very good boxing skills - even if he did cross over to boxing recently after retiring from MMA - Silva showed he was legit by beating former middleweight champ Julio César Chávez Jr. - and you beat Silva, including a knockdown, that is no joke.

[sam812]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

So I don't like Jake Paul - who has consistently overstated his prowess for years now. That said, I have to acknowledge that Paul is not just a YouTube celebrity, he is an athlete, or, he's become one. He's been training with professional coaches and boxers for some years now, and he is in great shape and he hits hard. He has been developing for several years now, and improving.

His boxing opponents, which was initially a basketball player, have gradually increased in ability. Now, he's still not fighting top boxers of his size and age. But, when you take on Anderson Silva, who is a good sized man, with very good boxing skills - even if he did cross over to boxing recently after retiring from MMA - Silva showed he was legit by beating former middleweight champ Julio César Chávez Jr. - and you beat Silva, including a knockdown, that is no joke.

It really is a joke though. I am a huge Silva fan but he is 47 years old fighting a 25 year old. A mediocre 25 year old should easily beat a 47 year old that was one of the best ever. As a former boxer I loved it when I was young and some of the old guys who used to be good would come in to spar. It was super easy to light them up like a Christmas tree with the huge speed difference because of age.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by sam812

It really is a joke though. I am a huge Silva fan but he is 47 years old fighting a 25 year old. A mediocre 25 year old should easily beat a 47 year old that was one of the best ever. As a former boxer I loved it when I was young and some of the old guys who used to be good would come in to spar. It was super easy to light them up like a Christmas tree with the huge speed difference because of age.

Agreed, Silva is past his prime, no question. It's all relative - for Jake Paul, this was still his toughest opponent.

I mean, really, since he fights by boxing rules and calls himself an elite fighter, Jake Paul should be fighting true boxers, of normal competitive fighting age - early 20s to mid 30s, and his own size - he's 6ft1 and is really more of a cruiserweight (200lb), but he's been fighting mostly MMA fighters on the back side of their career who competed at 155 and 170lb in their prime. Silva was the first middleweight MMA fighter he's fought, and he was a great striker in his prime, though as you point out, his prime was years ago.