While the decision was unanimous, Paul hardly dominated the fight. Through the early part of the bout, Silva did not seem to take Paul seriously, dropping his hands and evading punches with ease as Paul furiously tried to make contact. Silva often gestured toward Paul or the crowd to show that he was not giving the fight his full attention.
But eventually, Paul’s punches began to land, and Silva began to bleed and look less relaxed. In the final round, Silva blitzed Paul, seemingly realizing his only chance for a win would come with a knockout, but his last-ditch effort proved ineffective.
This was Silva’s third professional boxing match since he retired from the U.F.C. in 2021, and with a 22-year age difference between him and Paul, on paper, this seemed like a fight that Paul should have won with ease. And while Silva was technically Paul’s first fight against an opponent with professional boxing experience, it was not against someone who is making a primary career of the sport. Still, Paul thinks he deserves more respect with this win.
“I’m only two and a half years in. So this is just the start.” He later added: “I’m trying to become a world champion.”
To his credit, the only reason Paul was fighting Silva on Saturday night was because two fights scheduled in August at Madison Square Garden fell apart. There was Tommy Fury, the brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who is early in his boxing career but couldn’t fly into the United States. Then there was Hasim Rahman Jr., who was considered an even tougher foe because of size and experience, yet he could not make weight.
In his post-fight interview, Paul seemed most focused on fighting former U.F.C. fighter Nate Diaz, one of the most popular mixed martial artists ever, and Saúl Álvarez, the sport’s biggest star who is known by his nickname, Canelo.
Diaz seemingly would not help Paul’s quest for boxing legitimacy, as he has not fought a professional boxing match (though he has certainly trained with boxers). Álvarez certainly would aid Paul’s legitimacy, but has seemingly little incentive to fight Paul given the stark gaps on their résumés.