"You proved why you're here" - Anderson Silva describes the impact that 'legend' Canelo Alvarez's words had on him after fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Anderson Silva has opened up about the impact that boxing megastar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's words had on him after his fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Following his departure from the UFC in late 2020, Silva returned to the sport of professional boxing. 'The Spider' faced former WBC middleweight champion Chavez Jr. in June 2021.

The MMA great and former UFC middleweight champion impressed many with his performance, beating Chavez Jr. via split decision. Alvarez was in attendance for the fight and congratulated Silva on his victory.

In the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Anderson Silva suggested that 'Canelo' Alvarez's words of encouragement after the fight had a tremendously positive impact on him. When asked if he feels the boxing community respects him, Silva stated:

"I believe in that. I think when I fight with Chavez Jr., I'm so impressed because 'Canelo' come talk to me and signed the gloves for me. And I say, 'Oh, my God!' And 'Canelo' told me something very important, 'Anderson, you proved why you're here. And you have my respect.'"

"And I tried. Every day, I try to do my best because boxing is a different sport. And when you have the legend [like] 'Canelo' come talk to you and say something very important, you start to feel you need to respect and do your best more and more inside the boxing. That's why I try to do everything now."

Canelo Alvarez's most recent boxing bout was a unanimous decision win in his trilogy matchup against Gennady Golovkin earlier this month. The fight witnessed Alvarez successfully defend his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBF, and The Ring super middleweight titles.

Meanwhile, Silva last faced former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in a cruiserweight professional boxing bout in September 2021. 'The Spider' dominantly won the matchup via first-round KO.

Watch Silva discuss the topic at 1:03:25 in the video below:

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Georges St-Pierre on the cordiality between Anderson Silva and Jake Paul

Anderson Silva is scheduled to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a professional boxing matchup on October 29th. While the buildup to the fight has seen Paul behave in a rather uncharacteristically respectful manner towards his opponent, MMA icon Georges St-Pierre feels the Silva-Paul cordiality may not last long.

Speaking to The Schmo, the retired MMA two division champion insinuated that there shouldn't be any emotion on Jake Paul's part while fighting Anderson Silva. Especially since Silva is a legend. He also acknowledged that perhaps Silva's one of Paul's idols. St-Pierre said:

"Well I think when we gonna get close to the fight, the heat will start rising and maybe we'll see some clash."

Watch GSP's assessment at 3:50 in the video below:

Do check out the video below on YouTube boxers who can take on MMA fighters: