Getty Jake Paul takes the ring for his cruiserweight bout against Anderson Silva.
Jake Paul has given his take on the accusations of fixing his last boxing fight against Anderson Silva.
This past Saturday, social media sensation turned boxer Paul took on his toughest challenge in mixed martial arts icon Silva. The pair headlined the card at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Paul put on an impressive performance and even managed to score a knockdown of the former UFC middleweight champion en route to a close-fought win by split decision. He extended his unbeaten run to six as a professional boxer.
Following the victory, Paul earned some level of the street cred he was looking for but faced criticism from some fans and fighters, who alleged he rigged the bout. ‘The Problem Child’ faced a similar critique when he viciously knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
In an appearance on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, Paul shared his thoughts on pulling off the biggest win on his record.
“It’s still pretty crazy to me, beating one of the greatest combat strikers of all time. I’m just proud of myself,” Paul said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). I’m proud I was able to execute everything we worked on in the gym. This is the first fight where everything was slowed down for me, and I was able to really, really handle the moment really well and execute the game plan perfectly. I felt really comfortable in there, and here we are. It’s unbelievable, it’s surreal. I can’t believe I actually pulled it off, but I’m very proud of myself.”
Paul Responds to Accusations of Fixing the Fight
Paul responded to the doubters, who he believes will never accept his merit as a boxer. According to the 25-year-old influencer, he has earned the respect of the right people and could be content without satisfying everyone.
“The smart people who I care about are showing that love. There are the people who will always be there in my career who are discrediting it. Now, they’re saying it was rigged. It went from, ‘Jake’s going to get knocked out by Anderson,’ to, ‘Oh, that was rigged.’
“I lose faith in my generation and my peers, and us as a society and a world when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity. It just sucks. It sucks because I worked so hard for this. I dedicate everything, sacrifice everything, every single day, bust my balls, have a 15-person team working around the clock to help me become the best boxer possible, and when I do something like beating Anderson Silva, they try to take it away from me. But I know deep down, and I guess that’s all that really matters.”
Paul Got Told by His Brother To Retire
Paul opened up about his elder brother, fellow internet sensation Logan Paul, suggesting he hang up his gloves after beating an all-time great. However, ‘The Problem Child’ is here to stay and has no intentions of stepping away from competition.
“My brother says I should retire and leave the world and just leave people with their jaws dropped. ‘That kid just went 6-0, beat some of MMA’s best, and then just doesn’t do it anymore.’ I’m not going to do that, but I have exceeded my own expectations. But I think this is just the start. I’m really starting to get good, and there’s a lot of people that I want to beat. I want to be a world champion.
“I originally was like, I’ll go 10-0 and then retire. But now I’m 6-0, and it feels like I’m just getting warmed up. So who knows what ends up happening.”