Jake Paul came face to face with Anderson “The Spider” Silva yesterday at their first press conference. Hosted by MMA legend and former rival of Silva, Chael Sonnen, the press conference seemed to be more respectful than trash talk, an unusual sight for a Jake Paul press conference. This comes after Silva praised both Jake and Logan Paul for bringing more eyes to combat sports.
What Happened at the Press Conference?
Silva stated, “Listen, everything is possible. Jake and [his] brother are training hard to become boxers. They try to show respect for the community. The kids have good potential, and the people need to respect that.” He shrugged off any idea of Jake knocking him out and did not appear to feel any pressure to perform coming into this fight. When Jake stated that he is going to “respectfully knock him out”, Anderson laughed it off replying “maybe not”. It’s clear that Silva is looking forward to challenging himself against a young, hungry boxer but feels no real threat.
Anderson Is Jake’s Toughest Opponent Yet
As for Jake, his plans have been made clear ever since the fight announcement. He plans on “exterminating the spider”. Paul agrees that Anderson will be his toughest opponent yet. Despite this, when asked how he got it done on October 29th, he replied, “it’s not going more than five rounds”. Jake has knockout power and legitimate boxing skill, as he’s shown in his previous fights. He currently has five wins with four knockouts over the likes of Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
However, Anderson Silva is different from his previous opponents. He has always been an elite striker. Silva holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history, 2,457 days. He is an elusive counter striker and also possesses knockout power. This fight is a close fight and one which the fans will have a hard time calling. Many fans have criticised this fight so far, as Jake is fighting another MMA legend instead of a “real boxer”. Anderson is coming off two recent wins in boxing over the likes of Tito Ortiz and former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Silva is far from “washed up”. If Jake Paul manages to get past arguably the greatest combat sports athlete of all time, there has to be respect given.
The two fighters are set to have another press conference in Phoenix, Arizona, later today. Details to follow!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
