Anderson Silva decided he wanted to replicate the longevity of Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr when accepting his upcoming clash with Jake Paul.
UFC legend Silva, who is now 47-years-old, will take on his highest-profile challenge since making his switch to the boxing ring when he faces undefeated star Jake Paul at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona on Saturday night. The Brazilian star has a 22-year age gap to Paul, but has decided to keep his career going despite retiring from the UFC.
Silva has had huge success during his recent stint in the squared circle winning three consecutive fights against Tito Ortiz, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and most recently Bruno Machado. And Silva believes boxing legends Tyson and Jones Jr, who fought in an exhibition back in 2020, have paved the way for older fighters to continue doing what they love.
"I think the secret is being special, you need to love your job and when you do you can do something special," Silva said during an episode of Showtime's All Access ahead of his clash against Paul. "That is my whole vision about the success I make in my life. Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. They are legend, old legends who continued to do something special. I am so happy because I am trying to do the same.
"I fought in the past in MMA but when you fight in MMA it is completely different but when you fight in boxing it is much harder because you need to understand the game. I try every day to do something special to prove my respect for boxing. The secret is enjoying everything you do, sometimes it is not easy because the kids beat me a lot. But I am happy because I have made it here."
Tyson and Jones Jr took to the ring in an exhibition format provided by streaming service Triller with the event viewed as a huge success despite both men being significantly out of their prime. Since his defeat, Tyson has also been linked with another showcase against Paul and has remained in training in case the $100 million clash becomes available.
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Meanwhile Jones Jr has also maintained his fitness and now works as both a coach and a fighter and will compete in another charity boxing match against Robert Wilmote on January 28. Silva and Jones Jr were heavily linked with a boxing fight for several months prior to 'The Spider' securing his meeting with Paul.
However Silva dismissed the fight late last year, when he said: “I’ve been talking about this fight for many, many years. I try to copy Roy Jones in my entire life because he’s amazing, and I respect Mr. Roy a lot, but I don’t think this fight would happen right now. But I keep in touch with Mr. Roy Jones a lot and he talked to me when I fought Chavez Jr. and he gave me good luck.”
