Jake Paul remains undefeated, beats Silva by unanimous decision | WGN 720 Radio

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over former UFC star Anderson Silva on Saturday night, giving the YouTuber-turned-boxer a landmark win as he builds credibility in the sport.

An exciting fight went the distance of eight rounds, with the final round being a doozy, a ferocious right hand from Paul (6-0) sending Silva to the canvas. Silva was able to continue and even landed a few punches in the final minute, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges.

The fight progressed slowly, with Silva rarely landing punches in the first round, but the Brazilian landed some heavy punches in the second round as he danced around the ring, avoiding Paul’s hardest punches. Both fighters exchanged a few taunts, but the bravado gave way to concentration as both realized the fight was going to be a long one.

Paul held his own in the middle rounds — Silva’s nose was bleeding — but couldn’t land most of his powerful swings. That started to change in the final rounds as the younger Paul gained confidence and the punches started to connect.

It was a spectacle in front of more than 14,000 fans that mixed boxing and various types of celebrities, but the main attraction was Paul, 25, who displayed amazing skills in the ring. He’s also a master of self-promotion, going to an open training session on a horse on Wednesday and walking around the Desert Diamond Arena on Saturday with two people in giant Transformers-like outfits.

Silva (3-2) was a fan favorite who received loud cheers when he entered the ring. The 47-year-old rose to fame as a UFC star, but took up boxing and returned to the sport in 2020.

Paul and Silva’s eight-round lightweight bout was on a card that featured former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell fighting recently retired UFC veteran Uriah Hall, as well as a YouTube-famous primary care physician named Dr. Mike to former MMA fighter Chris Avila.

The 30-year-old Bell — a two-time All-Pro who spent his best football years with the Pittsburgh Steelers — was making his in-ring debut. He lost a unanimous decision to Hall in a four-round heavyweight fight.

“I thought everything was fine,” Bell said. “He is a great fighter. I think he got the best of me.”

In the main event, Paul weighed in at 186.5 pounds and Silva weighed in at 186.1.

Paul only got serious about boxing in December 2019, but he has the financial resources and determination to make it big. He claims to have a team of 30 to support his training sessions, which are mostly held at the Cleveland native’s base in Puerto Rico.

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