Boxing

Jake Paul may be starting to set his boxing sights a little too high.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer called out Canelo Alvarez early Sunday morning following his unanimous-decision win over Anderson Silva (NSFW language below):

"I want Nate Diaz, who's a b---h," he said. "He tried to come into my locker room, he tried to cause some s--t, and then he always leaves the f--kin' arena. So, Nate Diaz, stop being a b---h and fight me.

"And Canelo, you too. You too, Canelo. You guys said, 'Oh, you can't beat a striker, you can't beat a legend like Anderson Silva.' I just did it. So why can't I beat Canelo? F--k y'all."

The social media reaction was swift, with most mocking Paul for being a little too big for his britches:

Paul is undefeated in six professional boxing fights but has largely fought past-their-prime MMA stars. He's nowhere near the stratosphere of Alvarez, who is one of the top pound-for-pound boxers on the planet.

There's almost no chance Paul and Alvarez would ever fight. The circus atmosphere is below an athlete of Alvarez's standing, while Paul's staying power is in his continued ability to avoid the knockout many fans are rooting for.

He wouldn't be able to avoid the KO for long if he and Canelo actually went one-on-one.

Jake Paul extended his undefeated record in the boxing ring to 6-0 with a unanimous decision win over UFC legend Anderson Silva from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Paul was aggressive from the opening bell. He stalked Silva to the ropes, feeding him a steady diet of jabs and attempting to hit The Spider with looping right hands.

However, Silva showcased the kind of counterpunching that made him an icon in the cage. He tagged Paul with a left hook that gave him a taste of his power early:

By the third round, the Brazilian had taken over the role of aggressor. His gamesmanship, footwork and ability to dodge Paul's attacks were frustrating the 25-year-old.

To his credit, he didn't back down. He continued to throw heat back at Silva and was able to find a home for some punches and led the dance in more than one exchange.

Things got really interesting in the eighth and final round as Paul floored Silva with a hard right hand. While each round was close, that was the biggest highlight of the night and likely sealed the win for The Problem Child.

Ultimately, it was a fun bout that lived up to the hype and showed a little bit of what Paul is capable of in the ring.

Paul's undefeated boxing career has mostly come against former MMA fighters. After cutting his teeth against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib in his debut, he has since gone on to notch victories over former Bellator champion Ben Askren, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and now an MMA legend in Anderson Silva.

The win over Silva is especially notable because Silva has some background in boxing, having won three of his four professional boxing bouts. Most recently, Silva beat Julio César Chávez Jr. by split decision in June 2021 and scored a knockout over Tito Ortiz that September.

That's the best resume of anyone Paul has fought thus far, but he has his eye on much bigger game in the future.

"The Problem Child" would like to follow in his brother's footsteps and fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I think he would [fight me] if it was an exhibition for sure,” Paul told MMA Fighting. “The thing is I want it to be a real pro bout and take his undefeated record, which I don’t think he’ll risk."

Paul's brother, Logan Paul, fought Mayweather in an eight-round exhibition bout broadcast by Showtime Boxing in June 2021. Paul went eight rounds against Money Mayweather in a bout that wasn't scored.

The bout reportedly generated around one million pay-per-view buys, which would correlate to around $50 million in revenue.

The older Paul brother hasn't accomplished nearly as much as Jake Paul has to this point. With Paul's wins over multiple UFC fighters under his belt, a matchup with Mayweather could do big business for all parties involved.

Boxing, more so than many sports, tends to get in its own way these days.

Because it’s not organized in a linear style like most professional leagues, there’s a frustrating tendency for the biggest fights—those that make the most sense—to simply not get made.

Blame it on sanctioning bodies. Blame it on promotional rivalries. Blame it on conflicts between television networks or streaming services. Or blame it on the fighters themselves.

Sometimes it’s one thing. Sometimes it’s a combination of things.

Regardless, it’s as much a signature of the modern sport as a jab, a cross or a hook.

Welterweights Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao harangued each other for most of a decade before finally getting into a ring in the latter half of their 30s, for a 2015 fight universally panned as too far past vintage.

Meanwhile, their current 147-pound brethren, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., have shared championship space in the weight class since 2018 and frequently chirped about a meeting to determine preeminence but have yet to make the leap from commentary to contract.

But hope springs eternal, even in the squared circle.

With a competitive but unanimous decision over ex-sparring partner Jamaine Ortiz at Madison Square Garden’s secondary Hulu Theater venue Saturday night, three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko took a giant competitive step closer to what could, should and (gasp!) probably will be boxing’s next blockbuster.

A showdown for lightweight supremacy with reigning undisputed king Devin Haney.

It’s exactly what boxing needs, for several reasons, in an era when it rarely provides what fans want.

Because Haney and Lomachenko work with promoter Bob Arum and his Top Rank conglomerate, a huge chunk of the haggling that keeps other marquee matchups from being finalized is already a non-factor.

The 90-year-old veteran of backroom warfare said earlier this month, before Haney defended his collection of belts against George Kambosos Jr., that a fight with Lomachenko was on his radar for 2023.

Top Rank is just past halfway through a multiyear deal with ESPN that includes live events and other programming, and both Haney and Lomachenko's recent bouts have been shown on the network—including the Kambosos fight from Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia (Kambosos' home country) two weeks ago, and the Ortiz fight Saturday night topped a nine-bout show in midtown Manhattan.

So not only is it easy to make, but making it makes a lot of sense too.

Haney is unbeaten in 29 fights, and though he earned belted status from the WBC in 2019, he wasn’t taken wholly serious as a champion until he dethroned the previously unbeaten Kambosos—who’d held the IBF, WBA and WBO titles—with a wide decision in their first get-together five months ago.

Repeating the feat this month legitimized his claim as the king of the lightweights and piqued the competitive interest of Lomachenko, who’d held the WBA and WBO belts himself before losing a pandemic-bubbled decision to IBF champ Teofimo Lopez two years ago in Las Vegas. Lopez dropped the cache to Kambosos 13 months later, clearing the way for Haney’s two-fight ascension this year.

Now 34, Lomachenko was a two-time Olympic champion before he turned pro in 2013, won a world title at featherweight in his third fight and added a claim at 130 pounds before climbing again to become a full-time lightweight in 2018.

He was 4-0 with two KOs in the division before the upset loss to Lopez and has won three in a row since—stopping Masayoshi Nakatani in nine rounds and outpointing ex-champ Richard Commey over 12 before beating the 26-year-old Ortiz, who’d arrived at 16-0-1 since 2016.

He's ranked first among Haney’s contenders by both the WBC and WBO and third and fourth by the IBF and WBA, respectively. He’s also ranked first among the lightweight contenders behind Haney by The Ring, which has him sixth overall on the pound-for-pound list but does not include Haney in the top 10.

That's even more reason to lock down a fight that’s easy to make, makes sense in terms of championship lineage and rankings, and, best of all, is one that both would-be competitors seem to crave.

“That's definitely a fight that I'll entertain,” Haney said after the Kambosos rematch.

“We take on all comers. No matter who it is. We want to fight the best fighters in the world. I believe I'm the best fighter in the world. Whoever is next, bring him on.”

In Lomachenko, the 23-year-old would face an opponent over whom he’d have advantages in height (5'8" to 5'7") and reach (71" to 65.5"), not to mention a significant edge in hand speed.

On the flip side, Lomachenko could cause problems with a southpaw style and elite-level footwork that allow him to play sound defense and utilize unique angles to land punches. There’s also a sizable gap in experience thanks to the older man’s nearly 400-fight amateur career compared to Haney’s 146.

And unless he’s a superior actor, too, he sounds like he’s hungry.

“I prepare for this moment,” Lomachenko said. “I need this chance.

“I need this fight. Undisputed. Undisputed world champion.”

Le'Veon Bell suffered a unanimous decision loss to former UFC fighter Uriah Hall on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.

Hall took the clean sweep, winning 40-36 on all three judges' scorecards.

Both fighters were on the receiving end of boos from the crowd in the early going. The two debutants set a slow pace mostly punctuated by jabs from Bell.

However, when Hall let his hands go, he was able to do damage:

Bell's best moment came in the third round when he was able to land a flush right hand:

However, that moment was short-lived as Bell struggled to mount much offense after that moment. Hall didn't necessarily impress either but was effective enough to get his hand raised.

The bout, which took place on the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard, marked Bell's first foray into professional boxing. He showed some promise in a fifth-round knockout win over fellow NFL alumnus Adrian Peterson in September.

The three-time Pro Bowler remains an NFL free agent after playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens in 2021, but he hasn't sounded like a player who is interested in getting back on the gridiron.

"I'm done with the football thing because I can't really go back and forth with boxing to football," Bell told Damon Martin of MMA Fighting before the fight. "It's so hard to box and still try to do football. Boxing is one of those things you've got to be all the way in on. That's something that I've been trying to do. It's boxing for me."

Now the question will be whether the 30-year-old continues to pursue the sweet science after tasting defeat.

As for Hall, it's likely that he's found a way to expand his combat sports career. He fought his way to a 17-11 record in the cage before retiring and pursuing boxing.

With the win over Bell, Hall has his sights set on another fight with headliner Jake Paul, provided he gets by Silva.

"Jake Paul, definitely. That was the motivation that really got me into this," he told Brian and Luke Campbell of the Morning Kombat podcast (h/t Keith Idec of Boxing Scene). "I said, 'If there's a potential chance to fight this dude, I'll do it so I can expose him.' That's it."

Hall fits the profile of a Paul opponent. The YouTuber's last four boxing bouts have come against former UFC fighters, and the formula seems to be working for him.

With Hall notching a victory over a celebrity athlete, the stage could be set for another Jake Paul vs. MMA fighter showdown.

Mike Tyson, considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, said Saturday before Jake Paul's fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva that he believes Paul and other YouTube boxers are helping revive the sport.

Tyson said:

"Listen, my ego says so many things, but my reality is they help boxing so much. ... These guys making boxing alive. Boxing was pretty much a dying sport, so UFC was kicking our butt, and now we have these YouTube boxers. Boxing is getting 25 million views. Boxing is going back thanks to the YouTube boxers."

Tyson and Paul have been friends since the two competed on the same pay-per-view card in 2020, and the former has come to the YouTube star's defense on numerous occasions, including during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live in June.

During that interview, Tyson reiterated his stance that Paul has been good for boxing and deserves some credit:

“He’s beating people who he shouldn’t really be beating and you’ve got to give him that credit.

“He’s doing so much good for boxing. Listen, this guy has got 70 million people following him every time he fights. Champions of the world don’t have that many people following them. So what he’s doing for boxing is just sensational, no one should be hating on that. They should be saying ‘yeah let’s just fight him’. He’s helping everybody get money, so why are people mad at him?”

Tyson and Paul have even expressed interest in fighting each other in the past. However, former pro boxer and current boxing coach Freddie Roach seems to think a bout will never happen, saying in September that Tyson allegedly walked out on one of Paul's sparring sessions after watching him for 30 seconds.

"Tyson looked at him and left," Roach said. "He saw 30 seconds of him sparring and said, ‘Freddie, can we go downstairs and look at the pictures?’ He knows that’s where the good pictures are."

Paul was quick to respond to Roach's claims, via talkSPORT's Michael Benson:

“First and foremost, I saw these things that Freddie Roach was saying – that I was like sparring at his gym. First of all, I’ve never even trained at Wild Card gym, Freddie is a f--king idiot, he’s a hater.

“He coached Ben Askren to no avail, literally worthless, he’s off his rocker. He literally trains zero good fighters anymore and is a Jake Paul hater. Mike Tyson has never watched me spar, Mike Tyson has never been in the gym at the same time as me sparring.

“I went to Wild Card like once to talk to somebody for a meeting and for my brother’s press conference there. But Mike Tyson wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity, so it’s just Freddie Roach spreading rumours.

“Especially because me and Mike are friends man. Mike wouldn’t do that, Mike wouldn’t be like, ‘Ah f--k this kid, let’s go and do something else.’ Mike respects me and I respect Mike, but it would be dope to fight. I’m down. It could be fun.”

Paul is aiming to improve to 6-0 when he steps into the ring against Silva on Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The 25-year-old has wins against YouTuber AnEsonGib, Nate Robinson, Ben Askren and two victories against Tyron Woodley. Silva will arguably be his toughest opponent to date.

Tyson, meanwhile, is 50-6 in his career with 44 wins by knockout. He hasn't fought in a non-exhibition match since June 2005 against Kevin McBride.

There is no brotherly love for the Paul family when the opportunity to make money presents itself.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Jake Paul said he would be open to fighting his brother Logan after his boxing match with Anderson Silva.

"Heck, I could fight Logan Paul," Jake said. "Why not?"

If the Paul brothers tried to set up a head-to-head fight, they could be met with resistance from their parents.

Appearing on the Flagrant podcast over the summer discussing the possibility of a fight with Logan (starts at 67:20 mark), Jake said their parents "don’t want us to do it."

"They’re like, ‘Absolutely not. Why would you do that?'” he said.

Another potential issue for them could be figuring out what sport they would compete in. Jake appears to be fully immersed in boxing matches against athletes from other sports.

Logan is in professional wrestling with WWE. He does have some experience in boxing with fights against KSI and an exhibition bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Both of them have managed to carve out a successful career in their respective sport. Jake is 5-0 in boxing, with victories over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Logan is getting ready to challenge Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE universal title in the main event at Crown Jewel on Nov. 5.

Before Jake can think of fighting his brother, he has to concern himself with Saturday's showdown with Silva. The Spider had to receive medical clearance from the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission after saying he was knocked out twice while sparring last month.

Silva, 47, issued a statement on Wednesday clarifying he "misspoke" and was "NEVER knocked out in sparring."

Saturday's bout will be Paul's first appearance since a knockout victory over Woodley in December. This will be the fifth career boxing match for Silva, who is 3-1 in his previous four bouts.

After a successful exhibition bout, former All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell will make his professional boxing debut on Saturday against former UFC fighter Uriah Hall at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Bell scored a fifth-round knockout over fellow former NFL running back Adrian Peterson in his exhibition fight. Now, he'll see a serious step up in competition against a former UFC fighter.

The bout is set to take place as part of the undercard for the pay-per-view headlined by Jake Paul and Anderson Silva.

The spectacle can be seen on Showtime Boxing Pay-Per-View for $59.99 in the United States. The fight can also be live-streamed on Fite.TV.

When: Saturday, October 29

Where: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona

Start Time: Main Card starts at 9 p.m. ET

Odds: Hall -480 (wager $480 to win $100); Bell +330 ($100 wager wins $330), via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Bell is technically still a free-agent running back after playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens last season. However, he's adamant that he's committed to his second career in boxing.

"During the season, I've been getting calls," Bell said, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com. "During the season so far, at the beginning of the season, asking me to come on [their] team, and I've just been declining, because I've been trying to take this boxing seriously."

Bell showed some promising skills in his debut win over Peterson. He was fluid in his combinations, had good head movement and, of course, showed the power to put an opponent away:

Of course, that's going to be more difficult with an experienced combat sports veteran in the other corner.

Hall has 28 professional MMA fights under his belt with a career record of 17-11 that includes 13 knockout wins. Unlike some of the MMA fighters who have attempted a transition to boxing, like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, Hall is a striker first and foremost.

He has notable wins over Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi.

Hall's style in MMA was heavy on kicks, though, so it will be interesting to see how he makes the transition. According to him, it's a move he thought about before his career in MMA took off.

"I’m a competitor, man," he said in his pre-fight press conference. "This is a different stage. I’ve boxed before. Actually, a long time ago I did some amateur boxing. I said, ‘Listen, pique my interest to do something like this.’ My coach did, so I was like, alright, I’ll do it. I’m a competitor."

Throughout his MMA career, Hall has shown a knack for counterpunching and explosive power. Now, he'll have a chance to show he can bring that into the boxing ring.

The 38-year-old's experience and MMA-level striking make him the favorite despite Bell being eight years younger and coming off a knockout win.

The pace of the fight will be interesting to watch. The bout is only scheduled for four rounds, which could be a problem for Hall, who is used to having three five-minute rounds to enact his game plan.

While neither of these guys is likely to rise all the way to championship status, the fight does add two more non-traditional fighters to the pool of combatants for cards like this one.

Hall has expressed interest in fighting Paul, and Bell appears to be committed to making a name for himself in the boxing ring. The winner of this one would make sense as a future opponent for Paul.

Prediction: Hall defeats Bell via decision

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Jake Paul will attempt to maintain his unblemished boxing record against UFC legend Anderson Silva in the main event of the latest Showtime Boxing pay-per-view from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The 25-year-old Paul has gone from YouTube sensation to popular boxing draw with a string of victories over fellow YouTubers and former MMA stars. However, Silva is the most accomplished of them all.

The Spider will go down as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, and this isn't his first foray into boxing.

So the table is set for Paul to see his biggest test to date on a card that also features former All-Pro NFL running back Le'Veon Bell taking on former UFC fighter Uriah Hall. Here's a look at all the info you need to catch the fight and the latest odds.

When: Saturday, October 29

Where: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona

Start Time: Main card starts at 9 p.m. ET

Odds: Paul -260 (wager $260 to win $100); Silva +205 ($100 wager wins $205), via DraftKings Sportsbook

Live Stream: Showtime Boxing

It's a bit surprising that Paul will come in as a favorite. He has been impressive in the ring to this point, but no one he's fought has the resume of Silva. Both Askren and Tyron Woodley had their successes in MMA, but neither was a prolific striker.

Askren was known for his wrestling, while Woodley only developed his devastating one-punch power later in his career and was never the kind to actually box with his opponents.

The same can't be said for Silva. The Spider was adept at muay thai and kicks in his MMA prime, but he's always been interested in boxing and showed off some of those skills in the cage.

The 185-pound legend wanted a boxing match with Roy Jones Jr. as far back as 2008. But it never came to fruition with Silva's contractual obligations to the UFC. Silva won a boxing match in 2005 against Julio Cesar de Jesus.

Since then, Silva has had more opportunities to try his hand at the sweet science. He earned a split-decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. before knocking out fellow UFC alum Tito Ortiz.

The biggest question is how much juice the 47-year-old legend has left. So much of his striking game has been based on timing and elusiveness that it's hard to see him ducking and dodging all of Paul's offense.

The Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission had to have a special meeting to clear Silva to fight on Saturday night after Silva said in an interview he had been knocked out twice in training.

Silva told ESPN that he was joking and chalked it up to a mistake when speaking English. Silva's native language is Portuguese.

As talented and skilled as Silva is, he will still need to be in good shape to beat Paul. The YouTuber has demonstrated some ability in the ring and is over 20 years younger than his opponent.

Paul is nothing if not a showman, and he's upped the stakes for this bout with a bet that he announced at the pre-fight press conference.

If Silva wins the fight, Paul agreed to give the Brazilian a rematch in kickboxing. However, if Paul wins, then The Spider will help him to create a unified fighter's association to advocate for higher pay in the UFC and improved healthcare.

It's an interesting twist on an already intriguing pairing.

If Silva was anywhere close to his prime, this is a no-contest. Some parts of Silva's striking game wouldn't have translated to boxing, but his anticipation, timing and punching accuracy would have made him formidable.

That's not the version of him that will fight Paul, though. At his age, he just isn't as quick, powerful or agile as he once was.

Paul has carefully picked his opponents, but he's looked good against all of them. Expect his power and athleticism to carry the day.

Prediction: Paul via sixth-round knockout

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Boxer Ryan Garcia posted a statement Thursday about the failure to finalize a contract agreement to fight WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported Monday the sides came to terms on the framework for a January 136-pound catchweight bout in Las Vegas but broadcast rights remained a "significant obstacle."

Davis' promoter, Mayweather Promotions, wants Showtime to receive exclusive pay-per-view rights for the fight, while Garcia's Golden Boy Promotions wants some level of broadcast involvement for its broadcast partner, DAZN, per Mannix.

As Garcia referenced, the boxing world is dealing with an issue of getting highly anticipated fights finalized after talks between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. fell apart in the final stages.

While those types of issues are no stranger to the Fight Game, it's garnered more attention at a time when the Paul brothers, Jake and Logan, have brought celebrity boxing to the mainstream. It's created competition for the more casual boxing viewer.

Losing both Crawford-Spence and Garcia-Davis in the span of a few weeks would be a major setback, and it would make the upcoming calendar far less appealing.

Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Javier Fortuna in July. It was his second victory of the year following a triumph over Emmanuel Tagoe by unanimous decision in April. He held the WBC interim lightweight title in 2021.

Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) has held the WBA belt since beating Yuriorkis Gamboa in December 2019. His most recent defense came in May when he knocked out Rolando Romero in the sixth round.

There isn't a fight available to either fighter that would likely generate as much attention as their potential head-to-head clash, and Garcia's comments make it clear he doesn't want to miss out on this opportunity at a high-profile showdown.

The clock is ticking to see whether the sides can work out the broadcast details, though.