WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has passed comment on the upcoming Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva fight taking place this weekend in Glendale, Arizona, and discussed a potential ranking for the YouTuber turned boxer.
Paul faces what should be the toughest test of his career on Saturday, coming up against MMA veteran, Anderson Silva. Silva has a 3-1 professional boxing record and was known in the octagon for his tricky style and striking ability.
When asked by FightHype.com about the possibility of Jake Paul sliding into the WBC Cruiserweight rankings if he wins, Sulaiman was open to the idea.
“Jake Paul and Logan Paul really take this sport seriously. They train very hard, they do the boxing side and you have to respect that. Jake Paul has a record in professional boxing and he’s been increasing the level of opposition, and of course the WBC Ratings Committee is open to consider fighters for rankings.”
The possibility has been met with backlash by a lot of the boxing world, as despite boasting a record of 5-0, Paul is yet to face a ‘real boxer’, with all his wins so far coming against entertainers or retired MMA fighters.
‘The Problem Child’ is without a fight so far this year after a potential bout against Tommy Fury targeted for August fell apart. Paul most recently stepped into the ring to face Tyron Woodley for the second time in Tampa, Florida last December. Despite an unarguably thin record, Sulaiman went on to give Paul further praise.
“It’s an absolute positive [that Paul brings new fans to boxing]. When someone brings millions of new eyes to the sport, how can you be against that? People may not like him because of his looks or what he says or what he does outside of the ring, but so be it.”
In terms of what could be next for Jake Paul should he beat Silva, he has plenty of targets – realistic or otherwise. These include Tommy Fury (still), fellow social media sensation KSI, and even pound-for-pound star Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez.