Floyd Mayweather was beaten to the signing of young prospect Ashton Sylve, according to the YouTuber's account of his joining with Most Valuable Promotions.
Paul brought Sylve, a product of JackRabbit Boxing in California, on board to join he and Amanda Serrano in his stable of fighters under the MVP banner. And speaking with rapper Rick Ross on his show BS with Jake Paul, the influencer-turned-boxer claimed that they had to wrestle Sylve's signature away from Mayweather Promotions, who wanted the youngster as well.
Sylve had worked with Paul previously, and is friends with a number of major influencers like Yusef 'Fousey' Erakat and Deen The Great. At just 18-years-old, Sylve is a hot prospect in the sport and expected to become a world champion if he is matched correctly throughout his career.
Asked by Ross who his first signings would be, Paul listed off Serrano and Sylve, before his co-host added that "Floyd was trying to grab him and Jake went and grabbed him". The YouTuber-turned-boxer added that they "swooped" before saying: "MVP is the best place to be, humbly. We'll get you out there more than anyone else.
"Other than that we're sort of slow-rolling it because we don't want to sign 300 fighters, make a little bit of money from each of them and then one becomes a star. Our goal is everyone we sign will become a star, it's not about quantity it's about quality and that's what we focus on."
Sylve was due to fight on the undercard of Paul's doomed bout with Hasim Rahman Jr last month at Madison Square Garden, but is instead being kept on ice until his October fight date. That is believed to be against Anderson Silva on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona, with the announcement expected at some point this week.
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“Athletes like Sylve are the reason Nakisa [Bidarian] and I started MVP and it's a privilege to act as his advisor during such a pivotal point in his career,” Paul said back when they signed Sylve. “He represents what athletes can and should be, focused on building your brand and your skills. Sylve has all the ingredients to be a superstar in boxing and MVP is going to help him to do it in record time.”
“Jake Paul has proven he is a force in boxing as a fighter and as a talent advisor in a very short amount of time," Sylve added. "Following his career from YouTube star to top pro boxer has inspired me on my own journey.
"He stands up for what he believes is right and is working everyday to better boxing for all athletes. To be on the receiving end of MVP’s advice will only help me get to where I want to go quicker and I’m thankful to Jake and Nakisa for believing in my vision and to Reza for making this a reality."
