Jake Paul wasn't surprised to be met with boos when he walked out for his fight against Anderson Silva.
Paul, 25, picked up his sixth professional boxing win this past weekend by winning a unanimous decision against 47-year-old UFC legend Silva. The YouTuber-turned-boxer was booed by fans in Arizona when he made his ring walk as Silva was given a warmer welcome, but it's the kind of reception that Paul has become accustomed to since ditching his internet fame for a career in the ring.
"No I wasn't surprised, but in the sense of how many people were there for Anderson that was definitely shocking," Paul said on The MMA Hour. "I feel like I always get booed, even in my hometown of Cleveland I was getting booed.
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"That's the audience that likes to watch me, 50 per cent wants to see me lose and 50 per cent are supporting. There's really no grey area, most people aren't coming to see a fight. They either hate me or want me to win."
Silva is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time and is loved by fans for his respectable approach to fighting, whilst Paul is known for irking his opponents which often doesn't sit well with fans.
The pair were on good terms in the build-up to their fight, of which fans have since accused Paul of "fixing". 'The Problem Child' dismissed those allegations whilst stating he is losing faith in his generation because of those claims.
“I think smart people with intelligence are giving me props and respect," Paul added. "The WBC President [Mauricio Sulaiman] said that anyone who says Jake is not a real boxer is just bitter and is a hater. People like Teddy Atlas showing me mad respect, a lot of fighters showing me mad respect, a lot of MMA guys texting me saying, ‘You look really sharp, that was the best you’ve fought.’
“I lose faith in my generation and my peers and us as a society and a world when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity," Paul added.
"It just sucks. It sucks because I worked so hard for this. I dedicate everything, sacrifice everything, every single day, bust my balls, have a 15-person team working around the clock to help me become the best boxer possible, and when I do something like beating Anderson Silva, they try to take it away from me. But I know deep down, and I guess that’s all that really matters.”
