Eddie Hearn predicts Jake Paul victory over former UFC champion Anderson Silva

YouTube star Paul co-promoted Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano with Hearn earlier this year

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has predicted that Jake Paul will defeat Anderson Silva when the pair square off in a boxing match in October.

YouTube star Paul is 5-0 as a professional boxer and has knocked out each man he has fought, while Silva is a former UFC champion with a 3-1 pro boxing record. Silva’s MMA record has been inconsistent in recent years, but the 47-year-old is seen by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

The Brazilian’s seven-year run as UFC middleweight champion remains the longest in the history of the company. The corresponding 16-fight win streak also represents an unbroken UFC record. Hearn, however, believes that 25-year-old Paul will come out on top against Silva at the Gila River Arena on 29 October.

“I don’t know enough about Anderson Silva,” Hearn said on The MMA Hour on Wednesday (14 September). “Anderson is [47], but he can box a bit by the sound of things. While boxing is still a very impressive part of his repertoire, he’s still not a boxer, and he’s 47 years of age.

“But he’s a tough guy, he has a huge profile, he can box, and I think he’ll be competitive. I don’t think he beats Jake, because I think Jake is young, and I think he can punch a bit – and I’m intrigued to watch, and I like what Jake’s doing.

“It’s kind of him against the world [...] I just think that Jake’s been a bit unlucky, because he was trying to fight Tommy Fury, he was trying to fight Hasim Rahman Jr, and that would have actually given him the ability to say: ‘Actually, you have to respect me now as a boxer.’”

Paul was due to fight Fury, half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, last December, but the bout fell through. It collapsed again this April, with Rahman Jr – son of ex-heavyweight boxing champion Hasim Rahman – stepping in. Paul vs Rahman Jr was then scrapped, however, due to a failed weight-cut by Jr.

Paul last competed in December, knocking out Tyron Woodley when the former UFC champion stepped in for Fury. Paul had previously outpointed Woodley in August 2021.

Meanwhile, Silva last fought in September 2021, knocking out fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz. Three months earlier, Silva outpointed former boxing world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Paul has also stepped into fight promotion and promoted unified women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano this April, while Hearn promoted Serrano’s opponent Katie Taylor, who retained her status as undisputed lightweight champion with a decision victory over the Puerto Rican.