It’s not every day that you see a social media influencer with no prior career in fighting take down one of history’s most affluent athletes, let alone the childhood hero that you used to look up to as a kid. Social media star Jake Paul claimed victory as the YouTuber was able to hold his foray into the world of sport by taking down his boxing contestant, former UFC legend Anderson Silva a.k.a. The Spider.
The outstanding fight took place in Phoenix, Arizona where the determined opponents endured a bout of eight rounds with Paul knocking down Silva in the final stanza. Paul received a unanimous vote, 77-74 and 78-73 twice, from three judges. This means that Paul currently has a 6-0 boxing record, though it should be factored in that none of his opponents so far have come from a boxing background.
It is important to also take into consideration that Jake Paul still has his youth and agility on his side, but with the lack of fighting experience, he achieved an impressive win against the 47-year-old UFC legend Anderson Silva.
“I feel like I’m living in a movie,” Paul said afterward. “You couldn’t have written this in a story. Just being in the ring with him, seeing his heart, his courage, his bravery, that’s the champion that I looked up to. He’s such an inspiration.”
Jake Paul takes down childhood fighting hero & sets his eyes on next fighting victim
Before the fight, both opponents took to social media to exchange intimidation talks where Jake Paul slid in a humble compliment mentioning Silva being “the most versatile fighter the world has ever seen” and continued to mention to the public, “I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend, and do my best to exterminate “The Spider.”
He was my idol growing up and he was the first celebrity I ever met and now I get to share the ring with him that, first and foremost, is just super cool.”
This is exactly what Jake Paul did and shook fans by showing them a different side to his social media presence by highlighting his athletic capabilities. Jake Paul took the moment of stardom to challenge another MMA fighter, Nate Diaz for an upcoming fight, who was in attendance at the event.
“Everyone wants that fight,” Paul said. “Nate, stop fighting people for free, let’s do it in the ring.”
Jake Paul has been known to call out fights before they happen to create a social buzz and hype to see how audiences would respond before pouring any money into the event. Jake Paul is the pioneer of modern trash talks and insults online that he oftentimes starts out of the blue when he sets his eyes on his next boxing victim without even having a set match date. A new form for highly followed athlete influencers to pick their own fights and see the potential it has, before any money is invested, in terms of revenue and public susceptibility due to the high anticipation created around it.
As we wait to see if Nate Diaz will accept the challenge, one thing is for certain is that Jake Paul can no longer be seen as just another easy win for professional boxers who sees the YouTuber as any other social media influencer.
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