NEW YORK, NY – May 4, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Real Fight Inc. (Real Fight) announced the rematch between seven-weight boxing world champion and undisputed featherweight world champion Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano (44-2-1) and former WBO featherweight title holder Heather “The Heat” Hardy (24-2, 4 KOs). After earning the WBO featherweight from Hardy nearly four years ago, Serrano will put all her belts on the line and defend her undisputed title for the first time vs. Hardy in a co-main event alongside Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on August 5^th. The event will be distributed globally on pay-per-view by DAZN, in addition to all major cable, satellite and local PPV providers. Pre-sale tickets for those that have signed up for early access will be available on May 9, while general on sale will begin on May 11. All tickets can be purchased on https://www.americanairlinescenter.com/events/detail/paul-v-diaz. 

Serrano, the first Puerto Rican undisputed world champion, started her current title reign at featherweight by defeating Heather Hardy in a brutal 10-round fight in 2019 to win the WBO belt. On August 5th, Hardy, also a Brooklyn native, will attempt to avenge her loss and take all of Serrano’s belts in a 10-round bout contested at 126 lbs. Serrano steps back into the ring after winning a blood-soaked war against WBA featherweight champion Erika Cruz in February, making her the undisputed featherweight champion but also left her with a hand injury that resulted in canceling her much anticipated rematch with Katie Taylor. Serrano’s decisive win against Cruz followed her previous win over Sarah Mahfoud in Manchester, England that added the Dane’s IBF title to her WBO, WBC, and IBO featherweight belts. Her resounding clash against Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in 2022 earned recognition as Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year and The Ring’s Event of the Year and was further nominated for Event of the Year by Sports Business Journal. 

“I am the undisputed featherweight champion today because Heather Hardy agreed to fight me in 2019 for her WBO title,” said Serrano. “That was the first step in my current run at featherweight. It’s only right that I give her the opportunity to earn it back. I’m excited to once again share the card with Jake and put on an exciting war. This will be the first time I get to fight in Texas, and I promise the fans that they will not be disappointed.”

Hardy, the Brooklyn-born former World Boxing Organization featherweight champion who is promoted by Hall-of-Fame promoter Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment, will bring “The Heat” once again as she seeks to etch her name in boxing history and become the undisputed featherweight world champion. Following her professional debut in 2012, she claimed the vacant WBC international super bantamweight title in 2014, and in 2016 won the WBC international featherweight title and became one of the biggest draws in boxing. In 2018, Heather became world champion, winning the WBO featherweight title with a unanimous decision win over Shelly Vincent at Madison Square Garden. Heather put her title on the line in 2019 and lost in a unified title fight to WBC world champion Amanda Serrano in the first clash of the two boxing stars. Since then, she has battled back towards the top, recently defeating Brazil’s Taynna Cardoso in her last fight in February. 

“I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity,” said Hardy. “In 2021, I came back to boxing with a renewed passion for the sport. My late trainer told me, the day before he died, that 2023 would be my year. Now, I have the opportunity to prove him right and become an undisputed champion. Thank you to Amanda and team for keeping their word on giving me the rematch, but come fight night, I only have winning on my mind and stealing the show from Jake Paul and Nate Diaz.”

Most Valuable Promotions, founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and Real Fight, Inc., founded by Nate Diaz, are partnering to bring this event to global audiences as Paul and Diaz battle it out as the other co-main event at the American Airlines Center. The event will be distributed and co-produced globally by DAZN PPV and made available on all devices, platforms, cable, and satellite PPV providers around the world.

“Amanda is one of the most decorated and elite athletes ever and is on path to become the winningest female boxer of all time,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “After some much needed recovery time, Amanda is excited to return to the ring and remind fans why she is the most devasting puncher in women’s boxing. If Amanda prevails in the fight, the plan is to immediately pursue the rematch with Katie Taylor in Ireland. In front of her will be one of the most revered female boxers of the last twenty years in Heather Hardy, who has only improved from the fighter she was when she faced Amanda last. Heather is very much planning on walking away as the new undisputed featherweight champion. Paul-Diaz-Serrano-Hardy… what a night!”

For more information, follow on Twitter via @Serranosisters, @MostVPromotions, @HeatherHardyBox, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @serranosisters, @heathertheheat, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN:

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.? 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

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DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??

About American Airlines Center: 

Designed by architectural wizard David M. Schwarz and Dallas based HKS, Inc., American Airlines Center is considered one of the nation’s top arenas. Since opening its doors in 2001, the Center has been setting the precedent for sporting and live entertainment events. Bringing in a wide variety of big name shows as well as being home of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center consistently displays its unique versatility. Billboard Magazine named American Airlines Center the 6th busiest arena in the world in 2022.

NEW YORK, NY – April 12, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Real Fight Inc. (Real Fight), announced that they are partnering to create the most highly anticipated boxing match of the year. On August 5^th , 2023, international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and combat sports icon Nate Diaz will finally settle their growing feud over eight rounds at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. Paul v. Diaz will be contested at 185 lbs. with 10-ounce gloves, and will be distributed and co-produced globally by DAZN PPV and made available on all devices, platforms, cable, and satellite PPV providers around the world.

Fans can sign up for early access to tickets at: https://www.americanairlinescenter.com/events/paul-v-diaz/

Over the last 18 months, Paul and Diaz have traded scathing public jabs about a potential fight, and now the world will finally see the duo go head-to-head to settle the score. Paul (6-1, 4KO’s) will be out for revenge as he prepares for his first fight since his split-decision defeat against Tommy Fury. Hungrier than ever to show the world his boxing prowess, the Cleveland native is pulling out all the stops to prepare for his fight against Diaz and is promising to silence the critics with a spectacular KO against the combat sport icon.

Paul’s attempt at redemption will come at a steep price as he takes on the world-renowned MMA superstar and heart of the 209, Nate Diaz, who makes his highly anticipated boxing debut after being the most sought after free agent in combat sports history. Boxing has been a staple throughout his 17-years as a professional, which has included being a regular training and sparring partner of undefeated boxing legend, Andre Ward. A proven fighter willing to take on the biggest name in his sport, Diaz headlined his last show for the UFC and capped it off by being the first person to ever submit Tony Ferguson. He has won 22-fights as a pro, including devastating Conor McGregor with a 1-2 that lead to the Irishman’s first loss in the UFC.

“My last fight didn’t end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations. Now, the world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that’s not how I am built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long,” said Paul. “People tell me Nate has been training with Andre Ward for years. That he has insane stamina. That he refuses to back down. Good for fucking Nate. I haven’t

forgotten about the slap backstage in Arizona, and on August 5^th, a Problem Child is going to piece up and knock out the Stockton G.”

“Besides Canelo he’s the biggest thang in boxing. I’m here to conquer that. I’m the King of combat sports and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts,” said Diaz. “I fucked up Conor for acting out and now here I am again, like a Super Hero of the Real Fight game, the King of the Real Fight game.”

Most Valuable Promotions, founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and Real Fight, Inc., founded by Diaz, are partnering to bring Paul v. Diaz to global audiences. The strategic partnership will combine the star power and international reach of both fighters to promote the year’s biggest fight.

“Jake’s star power and popularity continue to command massive audiences worldwide. His most recent bout, Paul vs. Fury, surpassed more than 800,000 pay-per-view purchases and was a commercial success for all our partners. Jake remains one of the most avidly followed fighters in the sport and all eyes are on him, wondering what’s next,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “Well, what’s next is one of the most vicious men ever in the cage. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this fight to fruition with two of the most polarizing figures in the game, who have both shown the heart to fight through adversity. We are incredibly proud to work with Nate Diaz, Real Fight, DAZN, and American Airlines Center to showcase this thrilling matchup and have no doubt that Paul vs Diaz will be the hottest ticket in Dallas this summer.”

“Nate’s departure from the UFC made him the most sought-after free agent in combat sports history with all eyes looking to see what his next move would be,” said Real Fight Inc. President, Zach Rosenfield. “In choosing to make his boxing debut against Jake Paul, Nate found an opponent wherethere is an organic, non-scripted backstory that motivates him and will clearly capture the excitement of audiences throughout the world. Together with MVP, we look forward to producing an event worthy of the names of the marquee.”

“We are incredibly excited to have this mega fight on DAZN around the world,” said Joe Markowski, CEO of DAZN North America. “One of the biggest names in boxing meeting one of the biggest names inMMA makes for a truly unique matchup on a global scale. Watch it live globally on DAZN PPV.”

“We are thrilled to host the highly anticipated Paul vs. Diaz fight at American Airlines Center on August 5th” says Dave Brown, Chief Operating Officer & General Manager of American Airlines Center. “Dallas provides the perfect location to reach a massive audience and showcase the most exciting boxing match scheduled for this summer.”

For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @NateDiaz209, @MostVPromotions, @RealFightINC and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @NateDiaz209, @MostValuablePromotions, @realfightinc and @DAZNBoxing.

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic

athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About Real Fight, Inc.

Founded by mixed martial arts legend Nate Diaz, in 2022, Real Fight Inc. promotes exactly what the name suggests — the fights people want to see, featuring the realest fighters from all over the world. Since his departure from the UFC, Diaz is extending his business empire with a true all-around combat experience that will focus on boxing, MMA, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The inaugural event under the Real Fight, Inc. banner is set to take place on August 5, 2023, when Diaz makes his long-awaited professional boxing debut against Jake Paul at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

About Jake Paul

Paul (6-1, 4KO’s) will enter Paul v. Diaz having already collected an impressive amount of wins, including defeating one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time in Anderson Silva, where Paul won ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year by dropping Silva in the 8th round. Paul began his pro career in January 2020 with a TKO win against British YouTube star AnEsonGib and followed it up with a stunning knockout of former NBA star Nate Robinson in November 2020. “The Problem Child” then shocked the industry with a first-round KO of former MMA champion and Freddie Roach-trained Ben Askren in April 2021, followed by two wins over MMA legend Tyron Woodley, including a vicious sixth-round knockout which won him ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of The Year. After a split-decision defeat against Fury, Paul is eager to get back in the ring and come out victorious with a seventh professional win against Diaz.

About Nate Diaz:

Throughout a career that spanned 16 years, no single fighter has captured the imagination of combat sports quite like Stockton, California’s finest Nate Diaz, nor has anybody embodied the spirit of what it means to be a fighter in the broader world. Diaz defines a generation with a raw blend of attitude, perseverance, conviction, and pure skill. His rivalry with Conor McGregor remains the biggest in MMA history, shattering box office and pay-per-view records across the board, while his fights with Anthony Pettis, Leon Edwards, and Jorge Masvidal transcended the cage. Nate scored 16 victories over the course of his career in the UFC, ending with a poetic finish of Tony Ferguson in his final fight in the promotion.

About DAZN:

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top -flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.?

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

?

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalogue and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??

About American Airlines Center:

Designed by architectural wizard David M. Schwarz and Dallas based HKS, Inc., American Airlines Center is considered one of the nation’s top arenas. Since opening its doors in 2001, the Center has been setting the precedent for sporting and live entertainment events. Bringing in a wide variety of big name shows as well as being home of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center consistently displays its unique versatility. Billboard Magazine named American Airlines Center the 6th busiest arena in the world in 2022.

In a bout that was two years in the making, Tommy Fury won a eight-round split decision over Jake Paul in a cruiserweight bout in Saudi Arabia.

It was a tactical fight that picked up with Fury getting the better of the action by landing right hands. Paul fought back well and was able to get some good shots in.

In round five, Paul was deducted a point for hitting behind the head. In round six, Fury was deducted a point for holding the head down. In round 10, Paul dropped Fury with a hard jab. That was not enough as Fury won two cards by 76-73 scores. Paul won a card 75-74.

Fury is now 9-0. Paul is 6-1.

Fury landed 88 of 302; Paul was 49 of 157.

Fury said, “For the past two years, this is all that has consumed my life. Broken rib. Denied access. Everybody thought I was running scared. Tonight, I made my own legacy. I am Tommy Fury.
 
“All through these past two years, I had a dream and a vision that I would win this fight. And no one believed me. Now I can stand up and everybody can take note. It’s my first main event at 23 years old. I had pressure on my shoulders, and I came through.
 
“This is my first main event. I’m only going to get stronger, and I’m only going to get bigger. There were a lot of nerves going into that fight, but I override that. If he wants a rematch, bring it on.”
 
Paul said, “All respect to Tommy. He won. Don’t judge me by my wins. Judge me by my losses. I’ll come back. I think we deserve that rematch. It was a great fight. It was a close fight. I don’t know if I agree with the judges. I got a 10-8 round twice. So, it is what it is. I’ve already won in life, man. I’ve already won in every single way. I have an amazing family. Amazing friends. Amazing work ethic. I’ve made it farther than I ever thought I would.”

Badou Jack Stops Makabu; Wins Cruiserweight Title and Becomes 3-Division Champ

Badou Jack won the WBC Cruiserweight title with a 12th round stoppage over Ilunga Makabu.

In round four, Jack landed a quick right hand on the inside that sent Makabu down on his back.

In round nine, Makabu started to bleed from his Nostrils. In round 10, Jack dropped Makabu again with the right hand. In round 12, Jack landed a booming right to the head that hurt Makabu badly. A follow up flurry on the ropes forced a stoppage at 54 seconds.

Jack now becomes a three-division world champion with a record of 28-3-3 with 17 knockouts. Makabu of the Congo is 29-3.

Jack said, “I was standing there too much. My trainer told me to box and move. That’s not really my style. I mean, I box. But I also like to come forward and fight. Makabu is a hell of a fighter. He’s an African brother of mine. We used to be training partners. He is still my brother.”

Ziyad Almaayouf won an entertaining four-round split decision over Ronald Martinez in a welterweight bout.

After Almaayoud came out strong, Martinez landed a perfect right to the jaw that sent Almaayouf down. Almaayouf was able to right himself by landing hard punches that snapped the head back of Martinez that thrilled the crowd.

Almaayouf, 145.6 lbs of Saudi Arabia won by scores of 38-37 on all cards and is now 2-0. Martinez, 142 lbs of Ecuador is 3-2-1.

Muhsin Cason stopped Taryel Jafarov after the opening round of their eight-round cruiserweight bout.

In round one, the first punch of the fight was a booming right by Cason that put Jafarov on the canvas. Jafarov had enough after the round, and the fight was stopped.

Cason, 199.1 lbs of Las Vegas via Baltimore is 11-0 with nine knockouts. Jafarov, 200.6 lbs of Azerbaijan is 18-6.

Badeer Samreem stopped Viorel Simion in the opening round of their eight-round junior welterweight bout.

Samreem dropped Simion with a hard right and the fight was stopped at 1:26.

Samreem Dubai via Jordan is 8-0 with seven knockouts. Simion, 138.6 lbs of Bucharest, ROM is 23-10.

Follow all of the action as Jake Paul takes on Tommy Fury in an much anticipated grudge match. The action begins at 2 PM ET with a 4-fight undercard that will feature the WBC Cruiserweight title fight between Ilunga Makabu and Badou Jack.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED. THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Fury going after Paul..Referee warning for holding..Jab from Fury..Right from Paul..Left hook..Right to body…Combination from Fury
Round 2 Jab from Fury..Right on the inside..Jab…Right down the middle…Jab..Right..Left hook from Paul
Round 3 Paul lands a jab…Jab..Jab..Counter left hook..overhand right…
Round 4 Hard right from Fury…Combination…4rights…Combination from Paul..
Round 5 Right from Paul..Right from Fury…POINT DEDUCTED FROM PAUL FOR HITTING BEHIND THE HEAD…Lett Hook from Paul..Jab..Big right from Fury
Round 6 Left hook from Paul..Uppercut from Fury…uppercut..Right..POINT DEDCUTED FOR FURY FOR HOLDING THE HEAD…
Round 7 Right from Fury..Overhand right from Paul..3 rights from Fury…Fury bleeding from around the left eye
Round 8 JAB AND DOWN GOES FURY…Right from Fury…Uppercut from Fury..

75-74 PAUL,,,76-73 Fury,,,,76-73 Fury

ROUND 1 Left to body from Makabu…Body shot..

ROUND 2 1-2 From Jack…Right…Left to the body with Makabu..2 lefts 

ROUND 3 Right from Jack….Right from Makabu..2 lefts to the body…Big right hook..Chopping left..

ROUND 4 2 lefts to the body from Makabu..RIGHT HAND AND DOWN GOES MAKABU…Right from Jack

ROUND 5 Right from Jack..Right hand..

ROUND 6 Left from Makabu…right hook..Right to body,…Left 

ROUND 7 Right from Jack..Right to body..Big Right..Right to the body from Makabu…1-2 from Jack…2 rights to the body…

ROUND 8 Counter right from Jack

ROUND 9 Right from Jack…Blood from Nostril of Makabu…Right from Jack..Makabu coming forward…right to body and jab..Left from Makabu..Overhand right from Jack..Right at the bell

ROUND 10 Left from Makabu…2 hard rights from Jack….Right to body..Flurry from Makabu..Big left from Jack…3 more lefts.

ROUND 11 BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES MAKABU…Big right from Jack..Right to the body hurts Makabu

ROUND 12 BIG RIGHT HURTS MAKABU BAD….FOLLOW UP FLURRY AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1: Almaayouf going after Martinez,,Big Right…Double jab followed by a right…HUGE RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ALMAAYOUF…Right from Almaayouf
Round 2 Right from Martinez…Right uppercut…Big right from Almaayouf…Big left..
Round 3 Right from Martinez..Double jab from Almaayouf…Right over the top..Big right over the top..
Round 4 Double jab from Almaayouf..Left hook..Nice right to the body..Big right over the top..Left hook..

38-37 oN ALL CARDS FOR ALMAAYOUF

Round 1 1st PUNCH A BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES JAFAROV..Combination in the corner by Cason..Big right to the head..Right over the top…sweeping right from jafarov..Right to the body by Cason….THE FIGHT IS WAVED OFF IN THE CORNER
Round 2

Round 1 Left hook to body from Samreen..Nice right…right to head…BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES SIMION…THE FIGHT IS OVER

    •  Jake Paul 183.6lbs vs. Tommy Fury 184.5 lbs
(Cruiserweight — 8 Rounds)

   •  Ilunga Makabu 198.5lbs vs. Badou Jack 199.8 lbs
(Makabu’s WBC Cruiserweight Title — 12 Rounds)

•  Ziyad Almaayouf 145.6 lbs vs. Ronnald Martinez 142.5 lbs
 (Welterweight — 4 Rounds)

•  Muhsin Cason 199.1 lbs vs.Taryel Jafarov200.5 lbs
 (Cruiserweights — 8 Rounds)

• Bader Samreen 138 lbs vs. Viorel Simion 138.6 lbs
 (Junior Welterweight — 8 Rounds)

Paul vs. Fury will stream live on ESPN+ PPV (2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT), the exclusive digital distributor for the event in the United States. Additionally, it will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers and will be priced at $49.99.

By Norm Frauenheim –

It’s a main event, pay-per-view, between fighters with a combined 14-0 record compiled against YouTubers, a 3-time NBA Slam Dunk champion, a 47-year-old mixed-martial-arts legend and a guy – who at last count — is 0-47.

A pound for-pound list, it’s not. More like butchers, bakers and tomato can makers.

Step right up. For just $49.99, you can get ripped off, too. Plenty of customers will, of course. But there’s a market for it, proven repeatedly by Jake Paul, who is expected to deliver some more of the evidence against Tommy Fury on Feb 26 in Saudi Arabia

The Paul-Fury promoter, Skill Challenge Entertainment, knows that. So, too, do the networks. That’s why the bout will be staged on ESPN+, which from this corner gets more of a minus than a plus for selling this one.

But only the numbers matter. Paul has been generating big ones. He draws crowds. He gets PPV buys that Terence Crawford never has. And never will. But can he fight? That’s a stupid question.

He’ll say he can. Ever the provocateur, he calls out Canelo Alvarez. He rips UFC czar Dana White. He accuses UK promoter Eddie Hearn of a fix. Hearn sues, then says he’d still do business with him.

At the bully pulpit, there’s never been a bigger bully. There, Paul knows what he’s doing. Within the ropes, who knows?

But it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the show, and — in the here-and-now – Paul is the undisputed showman.

I’ve only been to one Paul fight. He scored a boxing decision over 47-year-old Anderson Silva, a former UFC star, at a jammed Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ early last December. On my scorecard, it was a draw. But a knockdown of Silva was enough to give it to Paul. No argument there.

Still, it looked as if Paul was just too easy to hit. He looked to be a long way from a main event, much less a chance at a champion or even a contender. He left himself wide-open for repeated shots from Silva. Maybe Fury, Tyson Fury’s brother, can take advantage. Maybe not. In Saudi Arabia, it might not matter in a bout that figures to go Paul’s way. Translation: Expect controversy.

That, however, would set the stage for what Paul does best. He’s the master of post-fight controversy.

The post-fight newser is an irreplaceable part of the show.

So, too, is the pre-fight newser.

That’s when I asked a question after welcoming Paul to former super-middleweight champion David Benavidez’ hometown.

Paul had been saying he wanted to promote Benavidez. I asked: Why not fight Benavidez instead? Paul looked back at me as though I was a nutcase.

Then in a sober, measured tone, he said he wasn’t ready for a fight at Benavidez’ level. No bullyboy response. It was the right answer.

A couple of days later, he called out Canelo. The Canelo challenge got the attention. The reasonable answer to the Benavidez question got little.

It was an instructive sequence, a plot line in a well-rehearsed show that must go on.

About four months later, Paul arrives in Saudi Arabia with assurances from the World Boxing Council (WBC) that he will be ranked at cruiserweight if he wins.

At first, I was confused. Did the WBC say ranked? Or rank? The Paul-Fury fight is more of the latter than deserving of the former.

Paul, a 26-year-old novice, has yet to face a full-fledged boxer. He beat Silva, who had some boxing experience. Silva beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Before Silva, he beat Nate Robinson, an ex-NBA point guard and slam-dunk champ. Then, there’s Fury, whose record is arguably even more problematic than Paul’s.  

His 8-0 record came against opponents with a cumulative record of 24-176-5. One, Genadij Krajevskij, went into a November 2020 loss to Fury at 0-11. After a TKO loss to Fury, Krajevskij lost 35 more bouts.

At 0-47, it’s a wonder that Krajevskij, a Lithuanian living in the UK, can get licensed.

To drive or fight.

But that’s another story.

It’s the promised WBC ranking that has generated most of the controversy. Presumably, Fury will get the ranking if he wins. But would there be any ranking at all if the fight didn’t include Paul? Sorry, that’s another stupid question.

It’s been pointed out that WBC rankings include 40 fighters in each division. Most other rankings only include the top 15. It was a revelation that there were 40 cruiserweights in the world. Who knew? But Oleksandr Usyk, now a heavyweight champ hoping to fight the other Fury, took the snoozer out of cruiser. He made it relevant.

But a Paul ranking threatens to return it to irrelevancy, even if he moves into the bottom half of the 40. But those aren’t the kind of numbers that matter.

To the WBC

Or ESPN.

RIYADH, SA (Feb. 23, 2023) — Jake Paul, the international superstar turned professional boxer, decided to answer the critics. He will face a “real boxer” for the first time, the undefeated Tommy “TNT” Fury, in the eight-round cruiserweight main event Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fury (8-0, 4 KOs), the half-brother of Tyson Fury, has been dominant since making his pro debut in December 2018. Paul (6-0, 4 KOs), nicknamed “The Problem Child,” has become one of the sport’s most popular figures with standout showings over former MMA stars Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Ben Askren. 

Fury and Paul have waged a years-long war of words, and that continued in Riyadh at Thursday’s press conference.

Paul vs. Fury will stream live on ESPN+ PPV (2 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. PT), the exclusive digital distributor for the event in the United States. Additionally, it will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers and will be priced at $49.99.

In the co-feature, Ilunga Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs) will defend his WBC cruiserweight world title against former two-weight world champion Badou Jack (27-3-3, 16 KOs).

At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.

Jake Paul

“We’ve picked this guy apart. We’ve studied him. He makes a lot of mistakes. He’s great on offense. He’s got a great jab. Lots of combos. Speed. Good footwork. Good movement. He’s a good boxer, but he’s not a great boxer. His lack of defense and lack of head movement is going to be exposed on Sunday.”
 
“I always take every fight seriously. I’ve fought UFC champions. Tyron Woodley was winning the UFC championship when I was on Disney Channel. So, when Tommy says that he’s been doing this his whole life, none of that means anything to me. I’ve always trained harder and tougher than all of my opponents. And I want it more. I have more of a why. I have more of a purpose. I’m Tommy’s end goal. This is the biggest opportunity of his life. He’s never been on a stage like this. He’s never gotten a payday like this. He was getting paid peanuts compared to this.”
 
“Anderson Silva is one of the greatest strikers ever. So, to go in there and outbox him and put him on the canvas—to me this is a speed bump and a cake walk.”

“I’m so excited for this fight because I can finally silence the critics who have said, ‘Fiight a professional boxer, fight someone your age.’ I agree. I haven’t proven that. But this is why this fight is so big. This is why I’m so excited. This is why I’ve given this guy multiple chances and paid him so much money to finally show up. And it really seemed like the only time he wanted to get into the ring is when I increased the amount of money. So, thankfully he’s here now.”
 
Tommy Fury

“I’m in boxing and have goals of becoming a world champion. So, if I’m going to do that, I can’t be dodging people like Jake Paul. The first two fights didn’t happen because of it being out of my hands completely. In the first fight, I had a broken rib and the doctors advised me not to fight. In the second fight, I went to the airport with my full team and we were ready to go, and we were denied access to the USA.”
 
“Third time’s a charm, and we’re here. I’m in super fit condition. I’m ready to go put this all to bed because for the past two and a half years it’s been, ‘When are you fighting Jake Paul?’ To even mention my name in the same sentence is disrespectful to me, a person who’s been boxing my whole life. I’m going to clinically knock this guy out early.”

“You’re getting put to sleep inside four rounds. Let me tell you. I’m not an old man. I’m a fresh, young fighter. I’m going to put you away. You had two very lucky escapes from this fight. You should have taken those escapes. You should not be sitting here right now because this is bad for you. You should have stuck to making easy money fighting old men and celebrities. I’m coming to take your head off.”

Ilunga Makabu

“I just want Badou to keep one thing in mind. I’m going to break your nose. I’m going to break your chin. I’m going to break your ribs. Thank you.”

“I’ve been a world champion for many years. I’m a dangerous boxer. There is no way Badou can take my belt. I’ll go back home with the belt and still be the WBC champion of the world.”
 
Badou Jack

“I’m here to take his belt, to win. I’m here to become the first Muslim fighter to become a world champion in Saudi. So, I am here to make history. Everybody’s got a plan until they get hit. I’m glad that he is confident.”

“I still feel young. I feel fresh. I want to keep going, and I am here to make history. Some people, they win a title in one weight class. I won in two weight classes. Now, I’m coming for the third. And new!”

Sunday, February 26

ESPN+ PPV (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)

Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury, 8 rounds, Cruiserweight

Bader Samreen vs. Viorel Simion, 8 rounds, Junior Welterweight 

MIAMI, FL (February 23, 2023)—One of the most exciting fighters in the world, WBC World Cruiserweight Champion Ilunga Junior Makabu will defend his title against the veteran Badou Jack on Sunday night on ESPN+ in Saudi Arabia as part of the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury card.

“Ilunga Junior Makabu will show why he is considered the best cruiserweight in the world,” said Makabu’s promoter Don King. “Makabu has all the tools to be one of the all-time greats.  After retaining his title, he’s ready to win the other belts to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion.”

Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs) will defend his title for the first time in a year.  He last fought Jan. 29 of this year in Warren, OH, winning a split decision over Thabiso Mchunu.  That victory was only his second defense of his title since Dec. 19, 2020.

Makabu won the vacant title on Jan. 31, 2020 in South Africa in scoring a unanimous decision over challenger Michael Cieslak  and defended the title 11 months later on Dec. 19^th and knocked out Olanrewaju in the 7^th round in Kinshasa.

Makabu, 35, who hails from the Republic of the Congo, has won 10 consecutive fights since his second career loss coming in the WBC World Cruiserweight Championship on May 29, 2016 when he got knocked out in the third round by Tony Bellew.  The bout was a slugfest as Makabu knocked Bellew down with a left hook in the first round.

Jack (27-3-3, 16 KOs), 39, who hails from Sweden, has won five consecutive fights, his last victory a split decision over undefeated Richard Riviera on Aug. 20, 2022.

Jack’s last title fight was his last loss on Dec. 28, 2019 when he fought Jean Pascal for the WBA Light Heavyweight championship as well as the WBC Silver Light Heavyweight title.  Jack lost a close split decision with two of the judges seeing the fight 114-112 for Pascal and the other judge seeing it in favor of Jack at 114-112.

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Paul vs. Fury will be live this Sunday, February 26, at 2 p.m. ET/ 11a.m. PT in English and Spanish on ESPN+ PPV, exclusive digital distributor in the U.S.  The pay-per-view can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV for $49.99, separate streaming subscription required. More information here.  The event takes place at Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

In the much-awaited main event, international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will, at long last, face undefeated pro boxer Tommy “TNT” Fury, younger brother of heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.

Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) and Fury were originally slated to face off in December 2021, but Fury withdrew from the bout because of a medical issue.  Paul’s latest win against the legendary Anderson Silva won him ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year by dropping Silva in the 8th round.

Hailing from Manchester, England, Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) made his professional debut in 2018, winning by decision. He then knocked out his next four opponents, drawing attention from the boxing world. He most recently shut out Daniel Bocianski over six rounds last April on the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte undercard. Fury, a former Love Island reality TV star, is ready for the biggest moment in his professional boxing career. 

In the co-main event, former two-weight world champion Badou Jack “The Ripper” (27-3-3, 16 KOs) will challenge WBC cruiserweight world champion Ilunga Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs). Jack is coming off five consecutive wins, including three by knockout, while Makabu will be making the third defense of his title. 

ESPN.com

• Can Jake Paul Actually Fight? (Timothy Bradley Jr.)

Out Thursday:

• Can Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul?
• The Not-So-Unlikely Way Jake Paul could Win an Actual Boxing Title (Mike Coppinger)

ESPN+, ESPN App Boxing Content: Live and Upcoming, On Demand, Studio Shows, Archives

• Top Rank: Real TimeGo all-access with top fighters throughout fight week as they work their way to fight night
•  REAL TIME: Paul vs. Fury
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• Who Do U Fight 4?Get to know the next generation of Top Rank stars and learn what drives them

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Paul vs. Fury (All Times ET)

About ESPN 
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About ESPN+ 

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 24.9 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).  

LONDON, UK – January 26, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Queensberry Promotions announced that international superstar Jake ‘The Problem Child’ Paul will, at long last, face undefeated pro boxer Tommy ‘TNT’ Fury, younger brother of Heavyweight World Champion Tyson Fury, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, February 26, 2023, in an event produced by Skill Challenge Entertainment Enterprises.
 
The event, titled ‘The Truth’, will also feature two-weight world champion Badou Jack ‘The Ripper’ challenging WBC Cruiserweight world champion Illunga Makabu in the co-main event. The card will also showcase Ashton ‘H2O’ Sylve, an MVP undefeated fighter, as he is set to face former WBC world title challenger Maxwell Awuku 48-5-1 (33 KO’s) from Accra, Ghana with contracts being finalized.
 
This Saturday, January 28th, 2023, Paul and Fury will officially face off for the first time as they sit ringside for the Beterbiev vs. Yarde unified light heavyweight fight in London, live on BT Sport in the UK.
 
Paul vs. Fury will be broadcast exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office in the UK on Sunday, 26^th February.
 
Additionally, Paul vs. Fury will stream live in the US on ESPN+ PPV and via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.
 
Paul and Fury were originally slated to face off in December 2021, but Fury withdrew from the bout because of a medical issue. Paul went on to record a scintillating one-punch knockout of Tyron Woodley, who stepped in as a late replacement for a rematch of the pair’s August 2021 clash. Paul is giving Fury another chance next month so he can silence the critics who claim he has yet to fight a professional boxer. The 26-year-old Cleveland native started his pro boxing journey in January 2020 and will go head-to-head with Fury, a more experienced boxer from a prominent boxing family.
 
Paul, who boasts a professional record of 6-0 with 4 knockouts, continues to make waves in the boxing world. His latest win against the legendary Anderson Silva, won him ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, by dropping Silva in the 8th round. Paul began his pro career in January 2020 with a stunning debut against British YouTube star AnEsonGib and a subsequent, jaw-dropping knockout of former NBA star Nate Robinson in November 2020. From there, ‘The Problem Child’ shocked the industry with a first-round KO of former MMA champion Ben Askren in April 2021 and two wins over Woodley, including a vicious knockout which won him ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of The Year.
 
“The moment of truth has finally arrived,” said Paul. “On February 26^th, I will get in the ring with a ‘real boxer,’ an 8-0 fighter from a storied fighting family and show the world the truth about who Jake Paul, the boxer, really is. This fight doesn’t happen without the vision and support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its Ministry of Sport and Skill Challenge Entertainment Enterprises. I am excited to come to Riyadh and put on a show for the world to see.”
 
Hailing from Manchester, England, Fury began boxing at the age of 12. He had 12 amateur fights, winning two regional titles and reaching the U.K. national final in 2016. Fury made his professional debut in 2018, winning by decision. He then knocked out his next four opponents, drawing attention from the boxing world. In 2021, he fought three times, including his U.S. debut on Paul’s undercard, earning his seventh victory against Anthony Taylor. He most recently shut out Daniel Bocianski over six rounds last April on the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte undercard. Fury, a former Love Island reality TV star, is ready for the biggest moment in his professional boxing career.
 
“Jake Paul’s boxing career ends on February 26th and I can finally move on with mine,” said Fury. “Every time I go out right now, everybody asks me about the Jake Paul fight. After this fight is done, everybody will be asking me how it felt to knock Jake Paul out. The world is about to see what happens when a proper boxer faces a YouTuber.”
 
“Jake Paul has already achieved more than anyone thought possible when we started this journey three years ago. Six professional fights, five pay-per-views, over $150 million of revenue generated and viral moment after viral moment,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP. “Now it’s about The Truth. Is Jake a legitimate threat in boxing or has this been a spectacle without substance? Jake versus Tommy is one of most anticipated fights in history involving two young boxers and we are delighted to partner with Frank and George Warren on this event in the UK & Ireland, who have been tremendous to work with throughout this two-year process.”
 
“This is the fight Tommy has wanted for a long time, so I am thrilled it has all been finalised,” said Queensberry promoter Frank Warren. “I know how disappointed he was after twice being unable to make it into the ring with Jake, so I anticipate this will be a memorable occasion not short on spice. It is a fantastic opportunity for Tommy to extend his profile even further into the Middle East and American markets and the chance to bring Jake Paul’s boxing career to an abrupt halt. Credit to Jake, who I admire greatly, for jumping in with a boxer this time. But Tommy has the background and pedigree as a fighter that makes him the favourite in my book.”
 
The Paul vs. Fury event is produced by Skill Challenge Entertainment Enterprises (SCEE) and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), in association with Queensberry Promotions and Top Rank.
 
“We are very excited about the upcoming event featuring Jake and Tommy in Riyadh and look forward to welcoming them to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” stated Chairman of Skill Challenge Entertainment, His Highness Prince Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. “With the consumption of YouTube content per capita in Saudi Arabia remaining one of the highest in the world, the highly anticipated bout featuring one of its most renowned personalities-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, will be amongst the most-viewed events globally. The excitement of this being his biggest challenge to date is very appealing as he takes on a legitimate boxer in Tommy Fury,” he added.
 
For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @TommyTNTFury, @MostVPromotions and @Queensberry or Instagram via @JakePaul, @TommyFury and @MostValuablePromotions and @QueensberryPromotions. 
 
About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)
Dedicated to brand building, content creation, promotion, and strategic advisory, Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. Already making a name for itself in the sport of boxing and the overall industry, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. The promotion company has co-produced and co-promoted all of Paul’s latest matches including both fights against Tyron Woodley and his most recent fight against Anderson Silva, which included a co-headlining bout with MVP’s youngest signed talent, Ashton Sylve. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8^th most bought pay-per-view event in history.
 
About Queensberry Promotions (QBP)
Frank Warren is an International Hall of Fame promoter who has guided in excess of 150 fighters to world champion status across his time in the sport. In late 2020 he celebrated the milestone of 40 years as a professional licence holder and in April of this year, a multitude of records were broken when he staged the World heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. Mr Warren’s Queensberry operation promotionally represent numerous champions, along with the most elite young talent in British boxing.
 
About BT Sport
Launched in 2013, BT Sport broadcasts in the UK and Republic of Ireland. BT Sport offers five linear TV channels BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, BT Sport 3, BT Sport 4, BT Sport 4K UHD, six interactive BT Sport Extra channels and is available on BT TV, Sky, Virgin and Talk Talk. BT Sport is also available online and via the App on mobile and large screen devices and operates pay per view channel, BT Sport Box Office. As well as the sole UK rights holder for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, BT Sport offers live sport programming including the English Premier League, boxing, UFC, WWE, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup and MotoGP. BT Sport is part of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports following the creation of the BT and Warner Bros. Discovery sports joint venture in the UK & Ireland.

NEW YORK (January 5, 2023) – Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced a historic two-part exclusive partnership with Jake Paul which will accelerate PFL’s mission to innovate and grow the global sport of MMA.

First, Jake Paul begins his MMA journey with PFL by signing as the first fighter in the new Pay-Per-View division he co-created with PFL called “PFL PPV Super Fights.”  Second, Jake Paul, along with his business partner Nakisa Bidarian, will utilize their expertise and platforms to help recruit, market, and promote the new PFL PPV Super Fight Division for the benefit of all top fighters. 

The new PFL PPV Super Fight Division is open for business effective immediately. The league is in the process of signing top PPV fighters, who want to become true economic partners. Fighters in the PFL PPV Super Fight Division will earn 50% of the revenue from PPV events, which is groundbreaking pay in MMA.  

As the first fighter under contract for PFL PPV Super Fights, Paul is partnering with PFL due to its “fighter-first” culture to co-create this new 50-50 revenue partnership model for all PPV fights.  As a long-time advocate for fighter-pay, Paul has also been appointed Head of Fighter Advocacy and will continue to work towards a business model that benefits all top fighters. 

PFL PPV Super Fights are stand-alone events separate from the PFL League Season.  PFL will stage two PPV Super Fights starting in 2023, scaling to more PPV events in following years. 

PFL is entering its next phase of expansion by launching the PFL PPV Super Fight Division and is welcoming Paul and Bidarian as minority equity owners in its parent company.  Paul and Bidarian will deploy their expertise, creativity, network, and platform to help promote fights, produce content, and recruit talent to help build PFL and the grow the awareness of its great fighters.  

“I’ve proven myself in and out of the boxing ring and now I am going to do the same in MMA, and there is no limit to the positive impact I can make on the sport,” said Jake Paul. “I plan to enter the PFL SmartCage and once again show the world that that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. Outside of the cage, equal fighter-pay and advocating for female fighters has been my passion, and I am aligned with PFL to evolve the sport.  I believe in PFL, their mission, and what they have accomplished in a very short period of time. That is why I chose to partner with PFL exclusively, both as a fighter and a businessperson. As Head of Fighter Advocacy, I will consistently promote PFL fighters and I invite all top MMA fighters, both men and women, to join the PFL and get a payday like they’ve never had before.”

“I founded PFL to innovate, professionalize, and grow MMA, and we have done that with our disruptive sport-season format which put “fighters-first” as they control their own destiny,” said PFL Chairman and Founder Donn Davis. “Today, we begin our next phase of growth by disrupting the MMA pay-per-view market, with an unprecedented new model where fighters will be true 50-50 economic partners in PPV revenues.   I’m gratified that Jake and Nakisa chose to join PFL, and I can’t wait to see what Jake does as a fighter, creator, and promoter in MMA with PFL.” 

 “Jake and I have proven our ability to successfully promote and stage major international PPV events.  We look forward to having a similar result with PFL within the sport of MMA.” said Nakisa Bidarian. “Our creativity and expertise, paired with PFL’s great reputation and strong position, will push MMA into a new phase of growth and one with more freedom and economic opportunity for fighters. Through our years of experience, we have developed a unique network of people and a novel approach to promotion and content, which we plan to bring to PFL with full force.” 

“Jake Paul begins his journey to fight in MMA today by signing exclusively with the PFL for our global capabilities, innovative platform, and fighters-first culture,” said PFL CEO Pete Murray. “PFL built a great roster of world-ranked fighters for our PFL League, and PFL is now open for business to partner with the best MMA PPV fighters on the planet to be part of our new PFL PPV Super Fight Division.”

Further information regarding the PFL PPV Super Fight Division and this historic exclusive partnership will be announced in the coming months. 

PFL is the #1 fastest growing company in MMA and the #2 MMA company on worldwide basis.  PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in sports-season “win and advance” meritocracy like all other major sports.  The PFL fighter roster is global and world-class, with fighters from over 20 countries and 25% independently ranked in the top 25.   PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience.   PFL airs live primetime in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and via 25 distribution partners is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries worldwide.
 

ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE 

Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league.  PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide on all key metrics and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship.  

The Company has four global live fight franchises:  PFL League Season, PFL Challenger Series, PFL PPV Super Fights, and PFL Europe.  PFL airs primetime in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 international leading media partners, including DAZN, DirectTV, Viaplay, Sky Sports, and MBC.  PFL has dozens of major brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, GEICO, Bose, US Marine Corps, and Celsius Energy Drink.  

PFL is backed by blue-chip investors including Ares, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with over 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams.

PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Problem Child had a problem.

Had a solution, too.

Jake Paul found his power at a moment when it looked as if defeat was imminent, knocking down MMA legend Anderson Silva Saturday night in the final round of a closely-contested cruiserweight fight on Showtime pay-per-view at Desert Diamond Arena.

The knockdown, scored by  short right hand, was timely and critical to a Paul victory that is sure to generate some controversy. Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) was awarded a unanimous decision. 

Judge PaulCalderon scored it 77-74. Chris Wilson and Dennis O’Connell both had 78-73, all for Paul, the celebrity fighter, who is more of social-media phenomenon than he is proven prospect. 

The scorecard margins were big enough that Paul would have won even without the knockdown. But the first seven rounds appeared to favor Silva (3-2, 2 KOs), a 47-year-old Brazilian who was fighting as a boxer for only fifth time in his storied career.

“They’re going to find something to say,” Paul said. ” ‘Fight a real boxer.’ I tried. If I were walking on water, people would say that I can’t swim. There’s always going to be haters. There’s always going to be critics. It’s an everyday part of life if you’re doing something and being successful. I don’t worry about it.”

The argument with this decision will start with Silva’s hands. They were quicker. They were more precise. According to a ringside computer, Silva’s landed 31 percent of his punches. Paul landed 25 percent. Yet, Silva didn;t argue with the decision

“That’s the game,” Silva said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But nothing will change in my life. I’ll continue training hard because I’m born for this. Now, I go back home, continue training and see the next challenge.

“I think the judges got it right. Listen, it’s tough to come inside here and fight a young kid. I tried to do my best. I trained hard every day. Jake is better than me today. I don’t have anything bad to say about my opponent. I think everybody needs to respect this kid because he’s doing the best job.

The fight began with Paul doing what he does best. First he mugged for the cameras. Then, he stuck out his tongue. The show was underway. It’s what he didn’t do that suggested he might be in for a tough night. He kept his hands low and himself in peril.

Silva noticed. So, too, did just about everybody in a roaring crowd of 14,430 patrons. Paul was there, his face a moving target. It was an invitation to attack and Silva did. He rocked Paul with a left hook in the first round. He rocked him again in the second. Paul’s face began to show redness near both eyes. He looked surprised.

In the third, he began to look for a single knockout punch. Mostly, he would lunge and miss. But there were signs that the middle-aged Silva had begun to slow down. Paul was getting closer with every lunge, although Silva repeatedly mounted an assault during the closing seconds of every round.

In the eighth, however, he slowed down just enough for Paul to land a critical shot. It didn’t win the fight. On the scorecards, Paul had already won. But it gave him an argument in a scorecard controversy sure to continue.

Paul knows that. For him, there’s always another controversy.So, he moved on to the next one.

“This is just the start,” Paul said. “I want Nate Diaz. Canelo (Alvarez), you too. You guys said, ‘You can’t beat a striker, you can’t beat a legend like Anderson Silva.’ I just did it. 

“So, why can’t I beat Canelo?”
Trying to explain why he can’t is, well, just another Problem.

Ashton Sylve scores first-round stoppage

Ashton Sylve calls himself H2O. Maybe that’s because water has its own force. Once it starts moving, it can’t be stopped.

So far, neither can Sylve (8-0, 8 KOs).

It took the 18-year-old lightweight from Long Beach Calif. exactly 61 seconds to stop Braulio Rodriguez (20-5, 17 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, Saturday in the last fight before Jake Paul and Anderson Silva took center stage at Desert Diamond Arena .

One Sylve punch hit Rodriguez. A sudden left hit put Rodriguez down. Rodriguez slammed hs fist onto the canvas in frustration. Then, he tried to get up. But his sense of balance was gone. He stumbled one way and then another. It was over, Sylve a stoppage winner at 1:01 of the first round

Santiago wins rematch, Nieves quits after seventh round

It was dull. Decisive, too.

Mexican bantamweight Alejandro Santiago fought deliberately and did what he said would, forcing Antonio Nieves to quit after seven rounds in a rematch of their 2016 draw Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena.

Santiago (27-3-5, 14 KOs) threw body shots while moving in and out tirelessly. Nieves (20-4-2, 11 KOs) never seemed to counter in any way. He simply wore out in a fight that Santiago promised would not go to the scorecards.

Le’Veon Bell runs into debut defeat

Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell said a few days before his pro debut that boxing was tougher than football.

“In the ring, you’ve got no teammates,” he said.

Moments into his first pro fight Saturday at Desert Diamond Casino, Bel looked around as though he missed those teammates. Retired UFC star Uriah Hall, making his boxing debut at heavyweight, rocked him around like a linebacker. He landed jabs and body shots. At the end of the third, Bell looked stunned. He looked as if he needed a back-up.

But this is boxing. No backups and no breathers. For Bell, there was only a tough loss by unanimous decision, 40-36 on all three cards. 

Dr. Mike loses pro debut

Diagnosis: Mismatch

Dr. Mike Varshavski quickly discovered that the sweet science isn’t the medical science.

The practicing physician from New York got rocked repeatedly by a tough Chris Avila, who staggered  the good doctor with  right hooks and then stinging left hands Saturday on the first pay-per-view fight on Jake Paul-Anderson Silva card at Dester Diamond Casino..

Repeatedly, Avila (2-1), a cruiserweight from Stockton Calif., flashed menacing smiles at Varshavski. Every smile seemed to say: Welcome to my world.

In the end, Avila won a unanimous decision, 40-36 on all three cards. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Dr. Varshavski would fight again as a pro. He donated his entire purse, $175,000, to the Harlem Boys and Girl Club 

Jeremiah Milton silences the boos 

A stoppage was the only way to silence the boos.

Jeremiah Milton (7-0, 6 KOs) delivered it, a multi-punch silencer that turned boos into cheers with a fifth-round stoppage Quintin Sumpter (5-1, 4 KOs) in a heavyweight fight, the final bout Saturday before Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast of a card featuring Jake Paul-Anderson Silva at Desert Diamond Arena.

A growing crowd grew increasingly restless with Sumpter’s early tactics. Sumpter, of Pittsfield MA, would dance, mix in an occasional punch and then dance away. By the fourth, the crowd lost its patience. Boos filled the arena. In the fifth, Milton, of Las Vegas, finished it with successive punches to the temple that put Sumpter on the canvas. When got back onto his feet, he stumbled. At 39 seconds of the round, it was over — Milton a TKO winner. 

Shadasia Green marches on to an 11-0 record

Shadasia Green, tireless and powerful, continued on her march forward.

This time, Ogleidis Suarez was in her way. But not for long. 

Green (11-0, 10 KOs), a feared super-middleweight from Paterson NJ, walked her down and was about to walk all over her Venezuelan opponent until Suarez corner was left with only one reasonable option: Surrender.

Green was declared the winner after Suarez (3–5-1, 14 KOs) decided not to come out of her corner for the fifth round of a fight on the non-televised part of the Paul-Silva card.

Glendale’s Danny Flores wins sixth-round stoppage

It was a cross-town battle, Glendale’s Danny Flores against Phoenix rival Edgar Ortiz Jr..

Score one for Glendale.

Actually, the aggressive Flores (11-0, 3 KOs) scored often, rocking Ortiz (8-4-2, 4 KOs) repeatedly late in the third round and again in fourth and fifth of junior-featherweight bout on the non-televised portion of the Paul-Silva card. Early in the sixth, the unbeaten Flores applied the finisher, overwhelming a tiring Ortiz with a wave of punches. It was over, Flores a TKO winner, at 30 seconds of the sixth

Glendale junior-featherweight wins unanimous decision 

Adrian Rodriguez grew up within a couple miles of Desert Diamond Arena. He has walked around it. He’s done road work around it.

Saturday, he won in it.

Rodriguez (3-0), a young-junior featherweight, employed quick feet and quicker hands, scoring a one-side decision over Dominique Griffin (4-3-1, 2 KOs) of Irving,TX in a four rounder, the second bout on the Jake Paul-Anderson featured card. It was a shutout, 40-36,  on all three scorecards.

First Bell: Eliezer Silva opens Paul-Silva show with quick stoppage

It began with only echoes.

Los Angeles junior-middleweight Eliezer Silva (2-0, 1 KO) stated it off, landing a big punch that created a lot of echoes in an empty Desert Diamond Arena Saturday afternoon on the non-televised part of the Showtime pay-per-view card featuring Jake–Anderson Silva.

Silva caught Anthony Hannah, who had dropped his hands, leaving himself wide open for the shot that ended the matinee bout. Hannah (3-5, 2 KOs), of Augusta GA, crashed onto the canvas, prompting the referee to end it at 1:57 of the second round. 

By Norm Frauenheim –

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jake Paul jumped off the scale, flexed, screamed and then did what he does best.

He weighed in.

He’s been weighing in all week with an unvarnished rip of a business known for what it doesn’t do any more. It fails to deliver fights that matter. It stumbles, from week-to-week, from one round of exasperating news to another.

Terence Crawford won’t be fighting Errol Spence. Canelo Alvarez won’t fight David Benavidez. Anthony Joshua won’t fight Tyson Fury. Who knows about Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis?  Never-Never Land isn’t fiction. It’s boxing.

But the oft-criticized Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), dismissed as a YouTuber, is about to do what so many others in the waiting game won’t. He’ll fight Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena, facing 47-year-old mixed-martial arts legend Anderson Silva (3-1, 2 KOs as a boxer) in a Showtime Pay-Per View bout (6 pm PT, 9 pm ET/ $59.95) that’s another easy target for old-school critics.

It’s a gimmick, they say. It’s also a fight that doesn’t matter, they say, arguing that it doesn’t belong on a decent undercard. Maybe, it doesn’t. But there aren’t many decent undercards anywhere these days.

Paul thinks he knows why. And he’s not shy about saying why. He counters the criticism with plenty of his own. His featured fight against Silva on a hybrid card that includes boxers, MMA fighters, a former NFL running back and a practicing physician is a lot of things. Mostly, it’s a forum, another platform, for Paul. He’s using it to say what a lot of frustrated fans are thinking. He has turned it into his bully pulpit.

“Get these fights done,” Paul said at a news conference before making the contracted weight Friday morning at 186.5, a fraction of a pound heavier than Silva, who came in at 186.1 “Stop shooting yourself in the foot. Stop being greedy. Give people what they want. Don’t look at every term in the contract and try to change it.

“Just effing fight. You spar every day. Why not get paid effing tens of millions of dollars to do it in front of people? They’re very scared to risk their undefeated records, but boxing needs these big fights. Don’t let your manager stop you. Don’t let your promoter stop you.

“You gotta be in control.”

Today’s state of the boxing business is the flip side of control. It’s chaos. Paul also knows that movers-and-shakers, both in boxing and the UFC, don’t like what he’s saying. In effect, he’s telling the fighters to do more than take punches. He’s telling them to take control.

“It sucks for the fans,” Paul said exactly one week after the business was pushed to another breaking point with news that Crawford-Spence would not happen in 2022. 

“The fans are the ones that get hurt. And it’s bad. This is why the sport has gone to bad places before.

“It’s gone to scary moments where you think the sport’s going to wind up dying out, because big fights like this aren’t happening. Why didn’t we get Fury-Joshua? There’s so many instances where big fights could be made, and they’re just not.

“I don’t know what it is. No one will ever know, and that’s what’s frustrating.’’

The fighters staged a weigh-in for fans Friday afternoon. Here are the officlal weights from Friday morning for fighters on the PPV part of the card:

Lightweights Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs), Long Beach, California, 132.4 pounds versus Braulio Rodriguez (20-4, 17 KOs), Dominican Republic, 132.5 pounds.

Cruiserweight debuts: Uriah Hall, New York, 198.6 pounds versus former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell, Columbus, Ohio, 197.6 pounds.

Cruiserweight debut of Dr. Mike Varshavski (pro debut), New York,182.6 pounds, versus Chris Avila (1-1), Stockton, California, 183.3 pounds.

The non-televised part of the card is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm (PT). It includes three Arizona fighters – Glendale junior featherweight Danny Barrios Flores (10-0, 2 KOs) against Edgar Ortiz Jr. (8-3-2, 4 KOs) of Phoenix and Glendale featherweight Adrian Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) against Dominique Griffin (4-2-1, 2 KOs) of Irving, Texas.

Cruiserweight Bout – 8 Rounds

Jake Paul – 186 ½ lbs.

Anderson Silva – 186 lbs.

Referee: Wes Melton; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Lightweight Bout – 8 Rounds

Ashton Sylve – 132 ½ lbs.

Braulio Rodriguez – 132 ½ lbs.

Referee: Tony Zaino; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.).

Bantamweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Alexandro Santiago – 118 lbs.

Antonio Nieves – 117 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Wes Melton; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Cruiserweight Bout – 4 Rounds

Uriah Hall – 198 ½ lbs.

Le’Veon Bell – 197 ½ lbs.

Referee: Tony Zaino; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Cruiserweight Bout – 4 Rounds

Chris Avila – 183 ¼ lbs.

Dr. Mike Varshavski – 182 ½ lbs.

Referee: Joey Chavez; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN

Stream Live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

on the SHOWTIME SPORTS^® YouTube Channel

Heavyweight Bout – 6 Rounds

Jeremiah Milton – 248 ¼ lbs.

Quintin Sumpter – 219 ½ lbs.

Referee: Wes Melton; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Super Middleweight Bout – 8 Rounds

Ogleidis Suarez – 169 lbs.

Shadasia Green – 169 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Joey Chavez; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Contracted weight: 169 pounds

Super Bantamweight Bout – 6 Rounds

Danny Barrios Flores – 122 ½ lbs.

Edgar Ortiz, Jr. – 120 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Tony Zaino; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer will host Saturday night’s SHOWTIME PPV telecast with MMA legend Georges St-Pierre serving as co-host. St.-Pierre was a two-division UFC champion and three-time UFC welterweight champion. They join the most versatile voice in combat sports Mauro Ranallo, along with International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein and leading mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani in calling the action from ringside.Helwani will also handle pre-and-post-fight interviews and serve as the ringside reporter. Three more Hall of Famers round out the SHOWTIME telecast team – unofficial scorer and boxing historian Steve Farhood will score the fights, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. will emcee the proceedings, and Barry Tompkins will call the international feed with former junior middleweight world champion and SHOBOX^® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez providing analysis. The executive producer is four-time Emmy award winner David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing. Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, whose podcast MORNING KOMBAT was recently named Best Sports Podcast of the Year at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards, will host the SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN show streaming live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.

#          #          #

ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA

International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Top 118-pound contenders and former world title challengers Alexandro “El Peque” Santiago and Antonio “Carita” Nieves will meet again in a 10-round rematch of their exciting 2016 showdown. Elite UFC striker Uriah Hall and former NFL star running back Le’Veon Bell will make their pro debuts in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds. In addition, Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds

By Norm Frauenheim –

GLENDALE, Ariz. – His reputation precedes him. So, too, does his nickname. Trouble is expected from anybody who calls himself The Problem Child.

Jake Paul’s reputation includes just about everything. He’s a promoter, puncher and a provocateur. Sometimes, he’s a potential union organizer. More on that later. Bet on it.

What he’s not, however, is a fool. Before he arrived in my home state, I wondered about that.

That prompted me to ask a question Thursday during the final formal news conference before his Showtime pay-per-view fight Saturday against mixed-martial arts legend Anderson Silva at Desert Diamond Casino.

As an old — very old — boxing writer, I’m new to the Paul story , which is full of inflammatory challenges and over-the-top bragging. Paul did some of that Thursday.

The pressure, he said, was all on him in his bid to beat the 47-year-old Silva.

“For sure I have more pressure on my shoulders,’’ Paul said. “Just being the ‘A’ side, and the amount of (bleep) I talk. I think the entire MMA community is waiting for me to lose. They want me to lose.

“I just have so many more big ideas and plans in this sport and I just plan on being here forever. This is the start of that, and the pressure is on.’’

That’s when I decided to ask a dumb question, one intended to be stupid. I was expecting a stupid, over-the-top answer. So much for expectations and reputations. Paul knocked it down, smartly and with a parting shot delivered like a punch line.

Paul had mentioned David Benavidez this week in one his many interviews, this one with DAZN. He is in Benavidez’ old neighborhood, after all. He is about to fight in the arena where Benavidez last appeared in a scary beat-down of David Lemieux last May.

Anyway, Paul said he wanted to promote Benavidez and then he explained how he would do it.

It was fanciful, of course. Benavidez already has a manager/promoter in Sampson Lewkowicz, who fought and won a battle with Top Rank to retain his rights.

It’s hard to foresee a time when Paul might promote Benavidez. But it’s no secret that the feared super-middleweight from Phoenix is having trouble finding anyone willing to face him. So, I decided to test Paul with a question, one as obvious as it was stupid.

If you can’t promote Benavidez, would you fight him?

Paul looked at me like I was Dana White.

“I’m not ready for that,’’ he said.

Then, I reminded him how hard it is for Benavidez to find opposition.

“Tell him he’s going to have to keep looking,’’ Paul said.

Smart, funny and not what might have been expected if you believed Paul’s portrayal in the media. He knows his career is still in the prospect stage. There’s frustration at the money and attention he generates. But he’s simply been smart enough to create his own celebrity through social media.

He has a profile and a punch in a business with many who have neither. Where will it all lead? Who knows? He has only five pro fights, all victories and four by KO. Silva is a risk, at least the oddsmakers think so. Some have favored the Brazilian, whose boxing record includes a victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Meanwhile, expect the unconventional Paul to move forward with more trash talk and ideas. One of them includes a bet with Silva. Paul said Thursday he’d do an MMA fight or kickboxing bout with Silva if Silva won Saturday.

If Paul wins, however, he said he wants Silva to help him create a union in a bid to get fighters more money and health care. At first, Paul said it would be a union for UFC and MMA fighters.

Then, he said “All fighters.’’

Silva reached across the podium and shook hands on a bet and an ambitious goal. He talks big. Thinks big, too.

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission quickly cleared Anderson Silva to fight Jake Paul Thursday night, citing a review of recent medical tests and comments provided by Silva and his representatives.

It took the Commission less than 10 minutes to reach the decision at a meeting that was suddenly scheduled Wednesday amid questions about whether the 47-year-old Silva had been knocked out twice in training for a Showtime pay-per-view bout Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena.

“A fighter’s safety is always our priority,’’ Commission Chairman Scott Fletcher said. “But we peeled back the onion and determined that Anderson Silva is in shape and ready to fight.’’

Silva was granted an Arizona license in September. That’s when he reportedly was knocked out, according to quotes that appeared in MMA Weekly. However, Silva said in a statement Wednesday that he had been misunderstood.

Silva, a Brazilian whose first language is Portuguese, said he told the publication he had been knocked down, not out.

The Commission decided to schedule what it called a Special Meeting late Thursday after it was notified of the discrepancy this week before a public workout in front of Desert Diamond Arena Wednesday.

Commissioners Joe Pennington and Dr. Ara Feinstein both said they were initially concerned when they first learned about the discrepancy in quotes from Silva, a mixed-martial arts legend.

“I was extremely concerned,’’ Pennington said. ”But after reviewing all the medicals and other accounts, I’m confident he’s ready to fight.’’

Silva underwent an MRI this week, according to the Commission.

“The result was pristine,’’ said Fletcher, who watched and spoke to Silva at a news conference Thursday at Desert Diamond Arena before the Commission met.

MVP, Paul’s promotional company, and Showtime were confident that Silva would be cleared for the cruiserweight fight.

“Fighter safety is paramount to us as a network and hopefully to everybody who’s a principle in this sport,’’ Stephen Espinoza, president of Showtime Sports, said.  “The commission has a job to do and we respect their responsibilities. We certainly didn’t begrudge them their request for additional information.

“They had heard some things in the interview, which gave them concerns. They asked for additional medical information and exams. Thankfully, those came out clean and everyone has concluded, both the medical experts and the commission, that it’s fine to move forward with the fight. So, we’re happy that the process worked in all senses.

“They had a concern, we addressed it, medical experts weighed in and the fight is on.’’

GLENDALE, ARIZ. – October 27, 2022 – International superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul finally got MMA legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva to agree to wager the result of their must-see eight-round cruiserweight match on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) event live on SHOWTIME PPV^® at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River) just outside of Phoenix.

During the final press conference on Thursday, Paul said that if Silva wins, he would face Silva in a kick-boxing match – a competition that would put Paul at a severe disadvantage. Paul said if he wins, he and Silva would create together a united fighter’s association to help UFC and all MMA fighters get better pay and healthcare.

“You become the interim president and we unite,” Paul said.

“Deal!” Silva responded, as the two rose from their seats on the dais and shook hands in the middle of the stage as fans applauded.

The blockbuster event between the two generational talents – Paul is the YouTube personality-turned boxer who rode into Wednesday’s media workout on horseback while Silva is the famed MMA legend with UFC records and accolades on his resume – has resonated with fans. Paul-Silva is already the highest grossing boxing event for ticket revenue in the history of Desert Diamond Arena and the second highest-grossing ticket event across all combat sports with two days until fight night.

The five-fight pay-per-view event is widely available for purchase and live streaming in the U.S. at SHOWTIME.com/ppv and via the SHOWTIME^® app. The event is also available on major cable, satellite, and telco television providers throughout the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SRP). Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. The press conference on Thursday was streamed on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel, Jake Paul YouTube channel, Jake Paul TikTok channel and the SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.

Paul and Silva were joined by the eight other fighters at the press conference appearing on the SHOWTIME PPV. Here is what they had to say before they meet in the ring on Saturday:

JAKE PAUL

“For sure I have more pressure on my shoulders. Just being the ‘A’ side, and the amount of sh– I talk I think the entire MMA community is waiting for me to lose. They want me to lose. I just have so many more big ideas and plans in this sport and I just plan on being here forever. This is the start of that, and the pressure is on.

“I’m the young guy and he’s really, really good and has more experience. He has the weight, the height, the reach so all the odds are stacked against me. He’s very fast, very technical, very rangy, good defense, good movement. I’ll have to be perfect on Saturday night. I know I’m capable of doing that but I’m ready for war. Skill aside, it might come down to who wants it more and I believe that’s me.

“When you get into the ring you have to be ruthless, savage, be willing to do whatever it takes during the darkest moments in the ring. You have to be a killer or you will be killed, so that’s where the problem child comes in. I’m a problem for anyone that’s in the ring with me. I can put you out at any time. I’m a different person. I don’t care about consequences when I’m in the alter ego and I come alive when I enter the ring. It’s not Jake. It’s someone else that I tap into.

“Logan was like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Now you think I’m going to win.”

ANDERSON SILVA

“When you fight in combat sports you have to be a little crazy. I’m a little crazy, too. This is not for everyone. Everyone here are special guys and for sure everyone here is a little crazy.

“This is a competition and I’m training hard to make a great show for everyone. This fight is very special to me. I try to do my best because I love fighting and I love my job and now I’m free to do everything I like to do.

“I don’t believe this affects my legacy, in my journey in combat sports. I try to do my best to give something to the new generation. Jake and I are bringing two big generations together and people think this will affect my legacy or affect Jake’s legacy, but I don’t believe that because it’s about passion and love.

“Everyone always asks, ‘Are you sure you want to face Jake Paul? He’s beating a lot of guys in the UFC.’ I say, ‘Yeah, I think I’m ready for that. He’s younger than me but I’m a superhero.’”

ASHTON SYLVE

“I feel like in the next two or three years I’ll be ready to fight for a title or be a contender. I’m in my eighth fight and I’m in the co-main event to a Jake Paul fight.”

BRAULIO RODRIGUEZ

“My mom is a fan of Jake Paul. I’m going to give the fans a show. I know what I’m capable of doing and I’m going to give the fans a show. I’m up to the challenge.”

ALEXANDRO SANTIAGO

“I am thrilled to represent Mexico. I’m so excited. I’m glad to have a grudge match to decide who’s truly better. I can promise you I’m going to represent Mexico with all I have, and this fight is going to be great.”

ANTONIO NIEVES

“When we fought six years ago, he was a last-minute opponent to the card we were fighting on. The fight was a draw and now to be in this event with Jake Paul from my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, it means a lot for me. He’s not a last-minute opponent so we expect a better fight and we’re looking for the victory.”

URIAH HALL

“Fighters fight and it changes when you have to go out there and you have to adjust. We’re both fighters at the end of the day. He’s a powerful dude. I know he’s confident. You can’t really focus on those outside negative affirmations. You have to stay present and I’m just looking forward to having some fun. He’s a challenge, it’s a step-up, it’s outside my comfort zone and I love a challenge.”

LE’VEON BELL

“I didn’t expect this to happen. But over the course of my NFL career, me picking up boxing as cardio, I just fell in love with it. And once I started sparring and competing with other fighters, then I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

CHRIS AVILA

“This is just another fight week and it’s not any different than Bellator or UFC.”

DR. MIKE VARSHAVSKI

“When I told my patients and my doctor colleagues [that I was fighting], they were considering admitting me to the psych ward. But they saw my passion for the sport and the reason I fell in love with boxing – as I said in other interviews, 2010 was a rough year where I lost both of my grandparents and my mother. It was a dark time and boxing allowed me an escape from that dark time.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA

“I’ve been a lifelong boxing fan. I’ve been in the sport working for almost 25 years. I’ve seen a lot of things, a lot of unusual things, but I never would have predicted an event like this.

“People ask all the time, ‘Why Jake? Why put 35 years of credibility in the sport on the line in this event?’ Well, for those of you who have spent any time with Jake, you can see he’s demonstrated a commitment to the sport, a respect for the sport, that can’t be denied. He promised us he would be taking on a tougher challenge with each successive fight and that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

# # #

ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA

International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Top 118-pound contenders and former world title challengers Alexandro “El Peque” Santiago and Antonio “Carita” Nieves will meet again in a 10-round rematch of their exciting 2016 showdown. Elite UFC striker Uriah Hall and former NFL star running back Le’Veon Bell will make their pro debuts in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds. In addition, Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds.

By Norm Frauenheim-

GLENDALE, Ariz. – He rode in on a horse.

Maybe, it was a nod toward Arizona’s wild-west past. Or, maybe, it was his way of saying he was the cavalry, riding to the rescue in an attempt to save a battered game from a head-long gallop to its own demise. Or, maybe, an elephant wasn’t available.

Whatever it was, Jake Paul, an unconventional boxer, enlivened a traditional media event Wednesday with an unconventional entrance for a public workout a few days before his cruiserweight bout with UFC icon Anderson Silva Saturday night on Showtime pay-per-view.

Paul had fun and a crowd of fans on a pavilion outside of the renamed Desert Diamond Arena west of Phoenix had some fun with him.

That’s not to say that Paul also didn’t do some business. He doesn’t just ride horses. He also has some horse sense. If his entrance was an acknowledgement of AZ history, his presence at the Glendale arena was also an acknowledgment of the state’s best-known fighter.

Paul mentioned David Benavidez, telling the DAZN Boxing Show he’d like to be his promoter. Why not? He’s in the neighborhood after all, talking, training and talking at an arena where Benavidez blew out David Lemieux in his last bout on May 21.

Benavidez grew up a few miles east of the arena, formerly known as Gila River. Metro Phoenix is the heart-beat of Benavidez’ emerging fan base. You could hear it, loud and clear, in his three-round demolition of Lemieux.

“David Benavidez,’’ said Paul, who promotes Amanda Serrano. “I think he’s big in the boxing world and he’s a superstar, he’s my favorite boxer, but he needs that push just like Amanda did into the mainstream.

“The kid needs to be on billboards, he needs to be on podcasts, he needs to be collaborating with influencers. He needs help making some content and getting some big sponsorships to get his name out there even more.”

Benavidez already has a promoter/manager in Sampson Lewkowicz. He’s also aligned with PBC. But that doesn’t stop Paul, whose opinions are part of the fun. Both are inexhaustible, always part of the show.

Paul’s tireless self-promotional skill has created a huge virtual universe. Not even Canelo Alvarez can ignore the reported social-media number – 20 million-plus You Tube subscribers. That’s enough to add a zero to even Canelo’s paycheck.

Thus far, however, Canelo has ignored, or at least eluded Benavidez, who is reportedly close to a deal for a fight with Jose Uzcategui in January,

Canelo said after his super-middleweight decision over Gennadiy Golovkin in a third fight in September that Benavidez’ resume doesn’t measure up.

“What has he done?’’ Canelo asked angrily.

He’s done more than Paul, at least he has in boxing terms narrowly defined by an unbeaten record, including a World Boxing Council title that was lost twice — first for a positive drug test and then on the scale.

Yet, Paul has an answer. He proposes to promote Benavidez  the way he promotes himself.

Put it his way: It’d be a wild ride. 

By Norm Frauenheim–

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission scheduled a meeting for late Thursday in the wake of conflicting reports about whether Anderson Silva was knocked out in training for his scheduled fight Saturday against Jake Paul.

The Commission scheduled the meeting Wednesday after news of the controversy broke during a public workout featuring both Silva and Paul on a pavilion outside of Desert Diamond Arena, site of the Showtime pay-per-view bout.

The meeting was announced by Commission Executive Director Danny A. Vella in a letter signed and posted on the Commission’s web site. It is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm PT/9:30 pm ET.

The executive director is prohibited from commenting on the regulatory agency’s business. Comments to the media are handled by a public information officer assigned by the state’s Department of Gaming.

Silva, a UFC legend, is 47 years-old. His age means he is subject to additional vigilance by Arizona. Fighters older than 36 are required to disclose the last time they’ve been knocked out.

Silva, a Brazilian whose native language is Portuguese, denied in a statement Wednesday that he had been knocked out at all. He was quoted in MMA Weekly as saying he had been knocked out twice.  

“After seeing the reports and concern for me, I’d like to clarify two important things,’’ Silva said in the statement, “One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I misspoke in that interview as I sometimes do when interviewing in English and exaggerated the normal back-and-forth action that occurs in sparring.

“Second, this sparring session I referenced was in early September. The interview with MMA Weekly was done on Sept. 13 and, for some reason, just released this week. So, it wasn’t recent.”

GLENDALE, ARIZ. – October 24, 2022 – The blockbuster event headlined by international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and UFC legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva has established itself as the highest grossing boxing event for ticket revenue in the history of Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River Arena) and the second highest-grossing ticket event across all combat sports with six days to go until fight night. The eight-round cruiserweight match takes place on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) event live on SHOWTIME PPV^® at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from the arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz.

PAUL VS. SILVA LANDS BOX OFFICE HAYMAKER

As fight week gets underway, the event’s total ticket revenue currently ranks ahead of all prior boxing events in the arena and sits between a pair of UFC events, trailing only UFC 263 for the highest grossing combat sports event in arena history. UFC 263 was headlined by the rematch between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori, and featured MMA superstar Nate Diaz. Paul vs. Silva has already surpassed the only other UFC event there – UFC on Fox 29, which was headlined by a lightweight bout featuring future champion Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje and featured the initial match between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori.

Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. The official promo for the event was inspired by the 1983 cult classic Scarface and is available to watch and share HERE. 

SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

The five-fight pay-per-view event is widely available for purchase and live streaming in the U.S. at SHOWTIME.com/ppv and via the SHOWTIME^® app. The event is also available on major cable, satellite, and telco television providers throughout the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SRP). In Canada, viewers can access the event via traditional distributors as well as digitally on FITE.tv, which will also carry the event in most international territories around the globe including the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and India. FOX Sports Australia will televise the main event Down Under, ESPN Latin America will carry the event throughout Latin America and Globosat will carry the event in Brazil.

THE MOST TRUSTED VOICES IN COMBAT SPORTS

Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer will host Saturday night’s SHOWTIME PPV telecast with MMA legend Georges St-Pierre serving as co-host. St.-Pierre was a two-division UFC champion and three-time UFC welterweight champion. They join the most versatile voice in combat sports Mauro Ranallo, along with International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein and leading mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani in calling the action from ringside.Helwani will also handle pre-and-post-fight interviews and serve as the ringside reporter.

Three more Hall of Famers round out the SHOWTIME telecast team – unofficial scorer and boxing historian Steve Farhood will score the fights, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. will emcee the proceedings, and Barry Tompkins will call the international feed with former junior middleweight world champion and SHOBOX^® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez providing analysis.

THE STREAM TEAM

Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, whose podcast MORNING KOMBAT was recently named Best Sports Podcast of the Year at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards, will host the SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN show streaming live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page. The dynamic duo will call the action of three undercard fights and look ahead to the SHOWTIME PPV action to come.

In the preliminary streaming bouts, Jeremiah “Dream Land” Milton (6-0, 5 KOs) faces Quintin Sumter (5-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round contest between undefeated heavyweights. Plus, former featherweight champion Ogleidis Suarez (30-4-1, 14 KOs) faces undefeated KO artist Shadasia Green (10-0, 9 KOs) in an eight-round women’s super middleweight bout and Glendale’s Danny Barrios Flores (10-0, 2 KOs), one of Arizona’s most promising prospects, will look to show out in front of his hometown fans against Edgar Ortiz Jr. (8-3-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round super bantamweight bout.

Thomas and Campbell will be on hand in Arizona all week long to host the live streams of fight week events, including Wednesday’s open media workout (1:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT), Thursday’s final press conference (11 a.m. ET/2 p.m. PT) and Friday’s public weigh-in (2 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). All events stream live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel, Jake Paul YouTube channel, Jake Paul TikTok channel and the SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.

BACKSTAGE PASS WITH ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. SILVA

SHOWTIME SPORTS^® has released the full episode of its Emmy^® Award-winning series ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. SILVA, bringing fans behind the scenes and into Paul and Silva’s private lives and training camps as they each prepare for one of the year’s must-see sporting events. The episode is now available free via the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel. To watch, go to:  https://youtu.be/vbrVF827RbQ.

A GOOD BET IN YOUR BACK POCKET

The event on Saturday is sponsored by Betr, the official partner of PAUL vs SILVA. Betr is the world’s first direct-to-consumer micro-betting app, allowing customers to make wagers on different aspects of a game that don’t involve the final score. It was launched by Paul and betting industry veteran Joey Levy in September.

# # #

ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA

International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Top 118-pound contenders and former world title challengers Alexandro “El Peque” Santiago and Antonio “Carita” Nieves will meet again in a 10-round rematch of their exciting 2016 showdown. Elite UFC striker Uriah Hall and former NFL star running back Le’Veon Bell will make their pro debuts in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds. In addition, Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds. For more information: www.Showtime.com/PPV.

 Saturday, October 29 will be a busy night at 2300 Arena in South Philly. Heavyweight Sonny Conto (10-0, 8 K0s) will take on James Bryant (6-1, 4 K0s) in the six-round headline bout on Saturday. The Philadelphia Phillies will be in Houston facing the Astros in game 2 of the World Series. Jake Paul and Anderson Silva clash on Showtime PPV, all on the same night.

Along with the live fights in the main arena, the Phillies game will be broadcast on one of the large TV screens, and at 9 pm ET, the 2300 Arena Bar area will be showing the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva event. What better way to spend Saturday night as a sports fan in Philadelphia.

Tickets at $55, $75, $100 and $150 are on sale:

https://2300arena.showare.com/orderticketsvenue.asp?p=436

Also fighting Saturday night at 2300 Arena:

Bryce Mills (9-1, 4 KOs) of Liverpool, NY will look for his fourth consecutive victory when he takes on Larry Fryers (11-5-1, 4 KOs) of Yonkers, NY via Clones, Ireland, in a six-round junior welterweight bout.

Tariq Green (2-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia, PA will take on Everlon Still (2-2, 1 KO) of Voorhees, NJ in a four-round super middleweight contest.

Carlos Marrero (3-8-3) of Bridgeport, CT will be fighting Tyree Arnold (1-4) of Philadelphia, PA in a four-round junior welterweight fight.

Shane Slocumb of Philadelphia, PA will be making his pro debut in a heavyweight fight against Johnathan Wiles (0-1) of Philadelphia, PA.

James White of Warwick, PA battles Keynan Williams (0-2) of Winchester, VA.

Devin Gantt (1-0, 1 KO) of Sicklerville, NJ will see action in a four-round featherweight bout following his impressive third-round stoppage over Taijiro Arakawa on September 1st.

ABOUT JOE HAND PROMOTIONS

Founded in 1971, Joe Hand Promotions is the nation’s oldest and largest television distributor of pay-per-view and closed circuit sports and entertainment events, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), championship boxing, and concerts. JHP’s event consultants provide their marketing knowledge and promotional expertise to help commercial establishments grow their business through the use of live sports and entertainment programming. Additionally, JHP hosts 4-6 live boxing events per year in the Philadelphia area. These events have held sold-out crowds at various venues and arenas.

GLENDALE, ARIZ. – October 21, 2022 – A longtime trainer, a new trainer and family dynamics played a big role in helping Anderson “The Spider” Silva wrapup training camp on a positive note in advance of the UFC legend’s mega fight against international superstar and undefeated boxer Jake “The Problem Child” Paul October 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., in an event co-produced by Most Valuable Promotions and SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

To understand Silva the polished boxer, one must first understand the close-knit, experienced team that’s surrounded him throughout this training camp near his home in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., an exclusive suburb 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles, as they prepare for Paul. The YouTube personality is 5-0 and coming off a spectacular KO against another former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. 

Silva’s team is led by longtime head coach Luiz Carlos Dorea, who has been with Silva through 19 years of training camps. Before his split-decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the summer of 2021, Silva enlisted the services of veteran boxing coach Nico Robledo. Robledo was sidelined after a serious bout with Covid-19 that left him in a coma for three months and in the hospital for more than five months last December to the end of April.

Silva has been joined in camp by Eliezer Silva, who is also fighting October 29, Brazilian boxer Hebert Conceição, Robledo’s son Nico III, and even Silva’s son Kalyl.

Here is what Silva, Dorea and Robledo had to say about facing Paul as training camp wrapped up:

ANDERSON SILVA

On the differences in training in mixed martial arts as opposed to training in boxing:

“It’s different because you have seven different disciplines in MMA but for boxing, I’m just training for boxing. And I need to train more with my footwork, the position of my hands. But I’ve been training for boxing for many, many years so it’s something I’m comfortable doing. Every single fight you have different things you train for. Every fight is different. For this fight, I’m training to fight a boxer.”

On his motivation:

“I don’t need the money anymore. People think the money is important, but it’s not. Of course, I’m going to make money from this fight because It’s my job. Don’t do something just for the money. Work because you have a passion. That’s what I’ve done and why I’ve been successful all my life.”

On being the betting favorite:

“There’s a lot of people who are saying Jake is no good, he’s not as good a striker. But to me the fight is a fight and I’m training hard to win this fight. I’m not looking at this as an easy fight for me. Every single fight is dangerous once you step through the ropes.”

If a loss will affect his legacy:

“I’m not going to lose. Nothing will affect my legacy. I’ve worked hard for many years to do something like this for my fans. This is one more fight – one more challenge for myself, but this won’t affect my legacy and career.”

On What the difference will be in this fight:

“The most important thing going into this fight is my experience. My experience is something that Jake doesn’t have. I love this challenge, that’s the secret to me and I go into this fight to prove my respect to the boxing community.”

LUIZ CARLOS DOREA

On Silva’s motivation:

“Anderson’s motivation is above normal for this fight. Being able to train at home in Los Angeles with those who are close to him is even better and motivates him even more. Each week he got better and better. I’m very happy because Anderson is very motivated for this camp. It’s a great honor to work with Anderson. I’ve been with him for over 19 years, and I still see him as super motivated and ready to take on any challenge. He’s very motivated.”

On Silva training for boxing:

“The training is much calmer because boxing is his realm and his comfort level. I’m a boxing coach and Anderson learns very fast, so I feel very confident in his boxing skills. Anderson is the biggest striker of all time in MMA so it’s a much easier job for me to get him ready. Anderson is an athlete where I have to tell him to stop in training because he always wants more and more and more, and that motivation is inspiring and motivates the whole team.”

On not looking past Jake Paul:

“We always respect the adversary, no matter who it is. That’s why Anderson is training extra hard because Anderson is very disciplined. The training is always the same to confront any great athlete. We can’t underestimate anyone.

“It’s going to be the biggest show of all time. Jake Paul is going to finally have the biggest athlete he ever fought in front of him. He’s going to be fighting a legend, so it’s going to be a great show.”

NICO ROBLEDO

On recovering from Covid:

“I’m so fortunate to my family for not deciding to pull the plug. The reason they waited an extra week was because my children lost their mother on the same day also to Covid. I got out of the hospital on April 23, and a week later I was back and training my son for US Nationals.”

On Silva training for boxing:

“MMA is a transition to boxing, for sure. He’s a great athlete and has the heart of a lion – he’s truly a warrior. It hasn’t been easy, but at the same time it hasn’t been hard. He’s 47, but he trains like he’s 27. He gives 100 percent all the time. He’s always positive and has a smile on his face. He’s willing to learn and that makes training camps so much easier.

“It was actually funny because when we first started, he was trying to do some kicks. Overall, he’s caught up really well, and he knows he can’t take someone down but has to rely on his punches and his boxing skills.”

The Paul vs. Silva event is co-produced by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and SHOWTIME PPV and is available now for purchase in the United States at SHOWTIME.com/ppv and via the SHOWTIME^® app for a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SRP). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. The official promo for the event was inspired by the 1983 cult classic Scarface and is available to watch and share HERE. 

# # #

ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA

International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Top 118-pound contenders and former world title challengers Alexandro “El Peque” Santiago and Antonio “Carita” Nieves will meet again in a 10-round rematch of their exciting 2016 showdown. Elite UFC striker Uriah Hall and former NFL star running back Le’Veon Bell will make their pro debuts in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds. In addition, Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds. For more information: www.Showtime.com/PPV.

GLENDALE, ARIZ. – October 21, 2022 – International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul offered a glimpse into his mindset as he puts the finishing touches on training camp just eight days out from taking on the toughest test of his career in UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva.The must-see eight-round main event bout takes place on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz.

Paul’s co-trainer BJ Flores, a former cruiserweight world title challenger, also shared insight into the rigorous training camp that’s coming to a close in Paul’s adopted home of Dorado, Puerto Rico. With the help of fellow co-trainer Danny Smith and Team Paul members J’Leon Love and Jacob Chavez, both Paul and Flores believe fans will see a vastly improved fighter since the last time Paul stepped into a ring 10 months ago.

After scheduled bouts with pro boxers Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. were scuttled, Paul had to quickly shift his attention as he entered training camp for arguably a far tougher opponent. With deft footwork and an educated jab, Silva showed in a win over former middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. that he is near the peak of his striking powers in what shapes up to be one of the most intriguing bouts of 2022.

The Paul vs. Silva event is co-produced by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and SHOWTIME PPV and is available now for purchase in the United States at SHOWTIME.com/ppv and via the SHOWTIME^® app for a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SRP). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. The official promo for the event was inspired by the 1983 cult classic Scarface and is available to watch and share HERE. 

Here is what Paul and Flores had to say about training camp, facing Silva and more:

JAKE PAUL

On the challenge of facing Anderson Silva: 

“It’s always good to have a big challenge because it pushes you to be perfect. There’s no room for lack of motivation or down time or complaining or anything like that. I know that this is a massive opportunity to catapult myself into the history books. To be a legend, you have to beat a legend and that’s what I have the opportunity to do here.”

On having respect for his opponent:

“It’s interesting having respect for my opponent where all the other ones we were talking trash to each other. But it’s super cool. He was my idol growing up and it’s a good change of pace. I have nothing but love for him, but I’m going to knock him out respectfully.”

On the improvements he’s made in camp:

“It’s about getting those 10,000 reps in to become a master. And so the technique is continuing to improve. Bringing my hips and my legs into the punches more and more. Even just growing my stamina to throw more punches. It’s been a constant evolution and my power has increased dramatically, which is scary for Anderson.

“So many things are clicking with it being my third year of being a professional boxer. I’ve improved drastically and exponentially. People are going to see a different fighter in the ring. I think people are going to be shocked. It’s been amazing and we’ve really caught a stride and a rhythm with the training camp this year.”

On his diet in camp:

“Breakfast is just an omelet with just one piece of toast. Sometimes I’ll skip lunch. I’m not really a big lunch person. It makes me tired and that makes me drop in weight. I’ll usually have a snack and some fruit and the snack is a high in fiber protein bar. Dinner is chicken or steak with quinoa, or quinoa with fish. Not a lot of carbs. So it’s been a really tough diet coming down to 187 but we’re wanting to do it the right way. Where I can wake up the morning of the weigh-in and have pasta if I want to. I could get to 175 next week if I wanted to do an MMA style weight-cut. But we cut the weight ahead of time so I never have to sit in the sauna and steam room and I’ll actually be the same weight.”

On his daily routine in training camp:

“Lots of sleep. I usually wake up around 1 p.m. We train a lot at night. We spar at night. We try to mimic fight night. Waking up and doing some kind of workout at night if I’m not sparring at night. That could be mitts, shadow boxing and then after that we do abs and we’ll go for a jog or weight training. Then it’s recovery and I have a stretch therapist. Then I go into a red-light bed. Then I come home, drink protein and then I go into the ice bath, then hot tub and back to ice bath. That usually recharges me right away.”

On sparring former world champion Chad Dawson in training camp:

“Chad Dawson raises my level of competition significantly. He pushes me to the next level and he makes me have to fight at my best. That’s what’s needed. If I can be in there with Chad Dawson, then I can beat Anderson Silva. I’m super excited for October 29 to go out there and show my speed.”

On his favorite part of training:

“I like the outdoor runs and jogs where my body just feels so good. I get into a rhythm. The music is playing, the sun is beating down and it feels like I’m in a boxing movie. The jogs are my favorite part for sure.”

BJ FLORES

On the daily routine in training camp:

“We schedule everything around the fight. On fight night, Jake probably won’t get into the ring until about 9:45, 10 p.m. We try to do everything on his fight night routine. We want him awake. We want him alert at night time. I don’t feel like there’s any real value in getting him up early and running at the crack of dawn. He’s a night owl. Plus, as long as we get the work done every single day, I just feel like the time of when you get the work done doesn’t matter. We want to do everything like a fight simulation.”

On the challenge of facing Anderson Silva:

“Anderson is a guy we’ve had our eye on for a long time. Anderson is a legend. He’s one of the greatest strikers of all time in any combat sport. We’ve taken it very seriously. He’s a very, very difficult challenge. It’s a massive step-up for Jake. It’s a very dangerous fight.

“The way that we attack Silva is obviously different to how we were preparing to attack Rahman. Rahman had more boxing experience. But not more fighting experience, not even close. So the way that we strategized and the way that we attack Anderson on fight night is going to be way different than it would have been for Rahman.”

On sparring in training camp:

“We’ve had Richard vanSiclen, who is 13-0. We’ve had Chad Dawson, who’s a former world champion. We’ve had Steve Cunningham and a lot of good guys in camp boxing with Jake who are very good southpaws. Southpaws who have been around for a long time just to give Jake that look over and over again and make sure he’s comfortable when he gets in the ring.

On the addition of co-trainer Danny Smith:

“We’ve added somebody very new to the team, Danny Smith. He was my trainer when I was boxing professionally. He’s one of the best trainers that I know. He’s one of my favorite people. Smart, intelligent guy who has been around boxing a long time. He’s somebody who taught me a lot about the game. He’s been very good for the strength and conditioning of Jake. He’s made Jake a better athlete as far as getting him stronger and faster. He’s excellent on the mitts. He’s been a great addition to the team.”

On the improvements Paul has made in training camp:

“Jake’s improvement since I first started working with him has just been incredible. The kid is just a nonstop worker. He’s a tireless worker. He’s very determined. He’s very goal-oriented. He’s very big on manifestation. Speaking what he wants into existence and actually going out and putting in the work to do it every single day.

“I would compare him when he fought AnEsonGib to a kid who just started learning how to ride a bike with training wheels on. After the Nate Robinson fight, he still had them on. After the Ben Askren fight, he was just slowly going along. Now he’s doing pretty good. He’s really improved a lot. He’s raised his boxing IQ. He’s really understanding the sport of boxing and taking it really seriously. It’s been almost three years of film study and reviewing every single sparring session that he does and talking about what he does well and what he needs to improve on and where he can get better. Over the last year, he’s sparred an extra 250 rounds with at least 50 different sparring partners. Good professionals. All of that just makes him a lot better.

“It’s an unbelievable amount of progress that he’s had over the last 12 to 18 months. It’s really impossible for anybody really to know how good Jake is and how he’s doing right now because he’s gotten so much better since last year that it’s impossible to handicap that. It’s impossible for any experts to know except those that are in camp with him. It’s been fun to watch.”

On the final days of training camp and fight week:

“We sparred twice the week before fight week. He’s in such good shape right now. We’re not doing as many rounds but we’re keeping him sharp. Keeping him firing on all the right levels. The main thing now is just making weight. 187 pounds. He’s already close. We’ve got a routine where days that he’s not sparring, we’re working on things in the gym. We’re making a conscious effort to get the weight down. Incline walk, sprints. We’ve been doing distance runs for 12 weeks. He’s in phenomenal shape right now. He’s prepared to go the eight rounds no problem but we’re also very realistic that this fight might not go eight rounds.

“We travel to Phoenix on Sunday. We’ll shake out on Monday. We’ll spar one final time on Tuesday. He likes to spar the week of the fight. And then after that, we have an open workout Wednesday, a final press conference on Thursday and a weigh-in on Friday. He’ll be ready to go.”

# # #

ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA

International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Top 118-pound contenders and former world title challengers Alexandro “El Peque” Santiago and Antonio “Carita” Nieves will meet again in a 10-round rematch of their exciting 2016 showdown. Elite UFC striker Uriah Hall and former NFL star running back Le’Veon Bell will make their pro debuts in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds. In addition, Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds.