Jake Paul has had some pretty nasty interactions with previous opponents, but today on stage with Anderson Silva, there really was nothing but respect and love between the two fighters, who will square off on October 29 at a Showtime pay-per-view. Main event.
Silva, 47, has never been known as a trash talker, and respect was shown between the two on stage.
“Everyone should respect this guy here. Why? Because he is opening the door for everyone to think about doing something new,” Silva said. “I am very excited and happy to be here. Many years ago he came with his brother and I took a picture with him. He is crazy! I have struggled a lot in my life and here I am again. It is the new generation and I continue. Everyone can do everything in life when they believe in themselves, when they have passion and love.”
Paul, who has been known as a trash talker, explained why he isn’t taking the same stance with Silva.
“My previous opponents were all idiots. Anderson Silva is the nicest guy in the world and we love him,” he said. “If my opponent is a jerk, I will treat him like a jerk and beat him up. I think people have seen that side of me, but I respect this man. I’m still going to knock him out, but respectfully knock him out.”
Silva cracked a smile at that and replied, “Maybe not! Maybe not. Okay, I like that because the energy in this fight is unbelievable. A lot of people think, ‘Anderson, you’re crazy, why would you do that?’ But I think it’s a good challenge for me.”
Paul, who opened as the light-stakes favorite (about 2-to-1, which is “light” in boxing), became the underdog by roughly the same odds within 24 hours of the lines opening, and he readily admits that this is the biggest challenge he has faced to date.
“I am made for this. Training world champions in the gym to prepare for Anderson. It’s my first time against a southpaw, but I love this shit, man. I really feel like I was put on Earth and destined to box. This will be my biggest test yet, but I am a young man and I am excited to have this experience under my belt. The fights are going to get bigger. This is just the beginning”.
He added: “This is it. This is a defining moment. I know I have someone who just beat a former world champion boxer in front of me. I don’t take it lightly at all. He is the GOAT of punching, he is the GOAT of MMA. Nobody thought that he would accept this fight.”
As of this time, DraftKings Sportsbook has both fighters listed with “favorite” odds; Silva is at -125 and Paul is at -105. It really is a pick’em because the matchup has a lot of variables and a lot of guesswork because of Silva’s age, Paul’s inexperience, the size, the rules, everything, really, and a lot of people are very confident in one outcome or the other. .
