Tony Bellew has praised Jake Paul for agreeing to face UFC legend Anderson Silva in his next fight.
The former world cruiserweight champion rowed with Paul after the YouTuber-turned-boxer joked he didn't know who he was back in April. Bellew is a boxing purist as well as a fan of MMA, and has never been the biggest supporter of Paul's abrasive style and boxing career.
But he had to admit that Silva is a step up in competition given his winning boxing record, which includes a win last year over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. In a tweet underneath Paul's official fight announcement, Bellew praised the social media star, saying" "Wow! Fair play. He can really fight!"
Bellew has previously warned Paul against a fight with him, and publicly slammed him over a comment he made about carrying the sport on his back. "In no way, shape or form can you claim to carry my sport," Bellew said in a message to Paul during a January episode of the DAZN Boxing Show. "You absolute f***ing muppet.
"He hasn't even fought a boxer yet, so how can you claim to be carrying my sport when you haven't even fought someone who comes from my sport? It's unbelievable, so I don't want to jump on the bandwagon that everyone does and slate him because I think it's great, really good what he does but I don't like that it's labelled a boxing match because he's not facing a boxer."
Do you agree with Tony Bellew's assessment of Anderson Silva? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
In April during promotion for Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, which Paul co-promoted alongside Eddie Hearn at Madison Square Garden, Mirror Fighting asked during a media scrum if Hearn would make a fight between Paul and Bellew. The Brit was delighted with the possibility, but Paul insisted that he has no clue who Bellew is, and mocked his part in the first Creed film.
Paul vs Silva will be the first time that the YouTuber has faced anybody with a professional boxing record in his career, as well as his first test against a taller, longer opponent. The Brazilian is also his first southpaw, although critics will still claim that he is over the hill at the age of 47 and not a legitimate boxer having come from the UFC.
During his legendary run as the middleweight champion in the UFC, Silva always attempted to cross over into boxing but was thwarted by boss Dana White. Since being released in 2020 and implored to quit entirely, he has had a new lease on life and become a real boxer, beating Chavez Jr before knocking out Tito Ortiz within seconds and brutalising Bruno Machado in an exhibition.
