This past weekend, Jake Paul won a split decision over Tyron Woodley in their long-awaited boxing match, and while the match has engendered every possible opinion and much hate among the MMA community, one former UFC champion is very complimentary of what the Paul brothers are doing.
Anderson Silva is one of the most respected MMA fighters of all-time and as he continues to make his transition into the world of professional boxing, Silva has nothing but respect for the Paul brothers and what they are bringing to the table.
“They did a good job, Tyron did a good job. I think Paul, Logan doing hard job and working hard,” Silva told Submission Radio. “And let me tell you something important, the Paul brothers made the new opportunity for people thinking about how entertaining is not about proving nothing to anybody, it’s just to put two big names inside the ring and doing the big show. And of course you’ve got the talk show. Logan talks a lot, your brother talks a lot, but this is entertaining, this is good. Because in the final day, when you see the life for these two kids, these are good guys, they’re not bad people. They just try to bring for every single person, especially your fans on YouTube and Instagram and everything, more entertainment. And I respect both, and I think the fight was very interesting.”
The Paul brothers have been figures of controversy in the combat sports world for the past few years as have parlayed their fame into lucrative boxing matches, mostly against other novice boxers. The Paul brothers have never claimed to be the best boxers in the world but they are drawing huge numbers on PPV as they jump into the world of the sweet science and this has rubbed boxing and MMA fans the wrong way, especially MMA fans as the Pauls have consistently called for boxing matches against big name MMA fighters, like Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. But while this has upset many people, Silva says at the end of the day, the Pauls are taking this seriously and broadening the combat sports world for everyone, which should be respected.
“The guy is working hard. The guy made the job hard, and I think it’s important for people to fight with these both guys,” Silva said. “Working hard, working hard. Take the training very serious, because the kids proved it’s not a joke. The kids didn’t go inside the ring for a joke, and everybody saw that….
“It’s an entertainment game. It’s not boxing at the same level as the professional, amazing and great boxers. That’s a different level. That’s ranking. You don’t have rankings, you don’t have title belt. It’s only for entertaining. And that’s a different sport, that’s a different level. It’s boxing, but it’s a different level. It’s not the same level for Canelo or Triple G or Pacquiao. It’s a different. It’s different, it’s completely different. The people need to understand that.”
Silva himself is also foraying into the world of boxing. Earlier this year, Silva won a decision over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Following that, Silva was suggested as a possible opponent for Logan Paul (who had just fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout) but instead Silva will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in a bout next week. After that is settled though, “The Spider” says it’s possible a fight with one of the Pauls will be in his future.
“Everything is possible,” Silva said. “A lot of people are talking about this fight with Logan. I think it’s good because Logan is a very good guy, very entertaining, smart. The Paul brothers are very good guys, very smart guys and doing something good for us. It’s an entertaining show and we’ll see. Everything is possible.”
Anderson Silva faced Tito Ortiz in a 195-pound, 8-round boxing match at Triller Fight Club on Sep. 11.
