Anderson Silva says boxing match with Jake Paul is a 50/50 fight
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva says that his upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul this weekend is a 50/50 fight.
Though he is now 47 years of age, Silva has been doing well in the boxing ring since leaving the UFC two years ago. In that time period, “The Spider” won two professional boxing matches against Tito Ortiz and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., plus competed in an exhibition bout against Bruno Machado. Although many observers thought Silva was done as a combat sports fighter following his UFC run, he’s shown in boxing he still has gas in the tank.
This Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona, Silva faces off against Paul, the hot-shot YouTuber-turned-boxer who is just 25 years old and who is 5-0 as a pro boxer. Although Silva has far more experience in combat sports, the betting odds currently have Paul as the betting favorite for the fight. Those odds may surprise some given Silva’s background, but as far as the Brazilian goes, he believes that this is a 50/50 fight that either man can win.
Speaking to AG Fight ahead of this weekend’s boxing match, Silva gave his honest assessment of the Paul fight.
“Boxing is chess, just like jiu-jitsu. Whoever moves the wrong piece can end up in trouble. Of course, there’s the score, the movement, footwork. But I have 50% and he has 50%. I think experience counts a lot, but a fight is a fight,” Silva said. “We never let it go to our heads that Jake doesn’t have a lot of experience, he hasn’t had fights with athletes that put him in difficult situations. But fight is fight. He’s training, too, he’s training hard. And we’re going to play our game. A game of avoiding his movements, of blocking his movements and trying to drown out everything on the other side.”
Who do you think wins the big boxing match this weekend between Anderson Silva and Jake Paul?
Order and watch the fight below for $59.99 – Starts at 9pm ET on Saturday
