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Jake Paul was outboxed, struggling to find his power shots and battling to solve the crafty, older champion across from him in game Anderson Silva.
Then, finally, in the eighth and final round, Paul released a hard right hand that followed a stiff left to Silva’s nose.
That knockdown dropped Silva to one knee. He responded to provide another two minutes of compelling action, but getting dropped was more than enough of a margin for Paul, 25.
And while it appeared during the wait that the scorecards would be unkind to the popular YouTuber following an entertaining battle with Silva, 47, the judges instead surprisingly gave the nod to Paul by scores of 77-74, 78-73, 78-73.
«It’s tough to come in here and fight a young kid, but I tried my best,» Silva said.
In victory, Paul called out recent UFC main-event winner Nate Diaz for a showdown in 2023.
USA TODAY Sports’ Lance Pugmire detailed some of the round-by-round action from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
MORE:Jake Paul is showing boxing how to succeed.
