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Jake Paul and Anderson Silva seem to be getting closer to making their boxing clash official.
'The Problem Child' has been out of action since December 2021. In his last outing, Paul faced Tyron Woodley in a rematch of their fight from earlier that year, where the YouTuber had won by decision.
In the rematch, the 25-year-old ended the rivalry with a vicious knockout of 'T-Wood'. Since then, Paul has been out of action, mainly due to a string of canceled returns. He was first supposed to face Tommy Fury, and then Fury's replacement Hasim Rahman Jr. earlier this month.
However, both fights were canceled. Hence, the YouTuber-turned-boxer is now forced to return to square one and look for new opponents. He was quickly linked to a showdown with controversial kickboxer Andrew Tate, but that hasn't come to fruition.
Instead, it seems that Jake Paul will face MMA legend Anderson Silva next. The news was first reported by YouTuber Keemstar, but the news was later corroborated by Ariel Helwani. Now, boxing journalist Dan Rafael has confirmed the news as well, while providing fresh details.
As of now, nothing is official. However, the showdown between the two stars seems likely to go down on October 29 in Pheonix, Arizona. While the venue hasn't been confirmed, it will probably be The Footprint Center, home of the NBA franchise Pheonix Suns.
See Dan Rafael's tweet about Paul/Silva below:
Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva: Betting Odds
Currently, Anderson Silva is favored to defeat Jake Paul in their potential matchup.
Fans have long been clamoring for 'The Problem Child' to fight an actual established professional boxer. To his credit, he's tried, but the bookings between Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. have stopped those attempts.
'The Spider' isn't an established professional boxer, but he's competed and won in the sport, unlike any of Paul's previous opponents. Silva crossed over into boxing after leaving the UFC in 2020, and has since captured wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz.
When the news broke about the showdown between the two massive stars, the 25-year-old quickly opened as the favorite. However, the tide has already shifted, and the former UFC middleweight champion is a favorite over the YouTube star.
As of now, Silva is a -150 favorite, while Paul is the +120 underdog. It's unlikely that this line will hold, given that there will be heavy fan favoritism in this fight. However, in the unlikely event that this line doesn't change, it will be the first time in Jake Paul's boxing career that he'd be fighting as the underdog.
