Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya is starting to become a big fan of Youtube star turned boxer, Jake Paul (5-0, 4 KOs).
Paul will take part in his sixth pro boxing fight on October 29th, when he faces MMA legend Anderson Silva in the main event of a Showtime Pay-Per-View card.
Unlike Paul’s past opponents, Silva (3-1, 2 KOs) has pro boxing experience.
Last year, Silva won a shock decision over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Months later, he blew away another MMA legend, Tito Ortiz, in one round.
Despite his advanced age of 47, there are a number of observers who view Silva as the betting favorite to win.
De La Hoya, a former six division world champion, likes the fight and believes Paul is going to win by knockout.
“That’s a good fight,” De La Hoya Inside Fighting. “I’m gonna go with Jake Paul. Yeah, I’m gonna go with Jake Paul, just because he seems like he’s getting into the rhythm of things. He doesn’t have too many fights. He loves boxing, is a hard worker, and has a lot of power. If he connects with Silva, he’s going to knock him out. If he touches Silva, he’s going down.”
De La Hoya is not overly impressed with Silva’s performances. He believes the former UFC champion caught Chavez Jr. at the right time.
“Everybody’s going based on what Silva did to Julio César Chávez Jr. and Tito Ortiz,” De La Hoya said. “Come on. I mean, Chávez Jr. Wasn’t even 20% of himself. Okay? Conditioning wise, physically, just wasn’t him. [Against Paul, Silva] goes down and gets knocked out.”
Paul had two fights scheduled this year – with both falling through. He was initially set for a showdown with light heavyweight prospect Tommy Fury, but it was canceled when Fury was unable to obtain entry to the United States. Paul was then all set to collide with heavyweight prospect Hasim Rahman Jr. – and that contest fell out when Rahman admitted that he wasn’t able to make the contracted weight.