Following his unanimous decision victory over retired MMA star Anderson Silva, Jake Paul called out a pound-for-pound great.
Paul passed his toughest test in the sport of boxing, and showed improvements whilst doing so. However – and it’s a big however – his opponent once again specialised in a different sport. Whilst Silva has a professional boxing record and was known for his striking in the octagon, fans still want to see Paul face someone who pays the bills from boxing.
It seems like the YouTube turned fighter has heard those calls, but rather than starting at the bottom, he’s targeting the very top. In his post-fight interview, after calling out another mixed martial artist in Nate Diaz, he challenged Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez.
“And Canelo, you too. You too, Canelo. You guys said ‘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.”
“Nate Diaz, stop being a b*tch and fight me. Canelo, you too.”
Jake Paul wants all the smoke after beating Anderson Silva
pic.twitter.com/x3mn9hTAQx— Dexerto (@Dexerto) October 30, 2022
In answer to his last question, boxing fans may have quite a lot to say. It’s not the first time Paul has fancied himself against the Mexican champion, either. He recently criticised Álvarez on his YouTube show.
“I’m beating world champions in sparring.”
“They say fight a real boxer and I’m like all right, give me Canelo, and then they’re like ‘you’re crazy, shut the f**k up. So, it’s kinda like, what do I do?”
“The thing is, is Canelo is old. Canelo is looking like sh*t. He could barely beat Triple G – who sucked! He got his ass beat by Bivol, who’s long, keeps his range, keeps his distance. I’m bigger than Canelo. I weigh more than Canelo. All of the above, bro.”
Canelo has been aloof to the call outs in the past, and has stated that the trend of people like Paul entering the sport could be ‘dangerous.’ Still, he likes to put on a show, and one starts to wonder just what has to happen before he considers entering the ring and really putting Paul’s skills to the test.