The undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva has begun to be filled.
On October 29th from the Gila River Arena in Arizona, the two stars will clash in an eight-round affair. Paul and Silva will headline a Showtime pay-per-view which is expected to be one of the biggest boxing matches of the year.
‘The Problem Child’ has been out of action since his knockout of Tyron Woodley last December. Following that outing, Paul has had canceled showdowns with Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr.
Luckily, the YouTuber-turned-boxer has found a ready and willing opponent in ‘The Spider’. The Brazilian returned to boxing after being released from the UFC in 2020. Since then, he’s captured victories over names such as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz.
The fight between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva was the only bout set for October 29th until now. Earlier today, Most Valuable Promotions announced on Twitter that a familiar name was joining the card.
Former UFC featherweight Chris Avila has been added to the undercard. The Stockton native, most known for his training with the Diaz brothers, has appeared on Paul’s undercard in the past.
BOOM! Dr. Mike makes his pro debut versus Chris Avila, who is 1-1 as a pro boxer, opening the #PaulSilva pay-per-view on SAT OCT 29.
Other than Jake Paul, Dr. Mike is the first “YouTube creator” to get in the ring with a professional fighter in a sanctioned pro fight. pic.twitter.com/OetZKZa4Om
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) September 20, 2022
Last December, the UFC veteran defeated Anthony Taylor by a decision on the undercard of the YouTuber’s rematch with ‘The Chosen One’. The victory moved Avila to 1-1 in the boxing ring. He will now get the chance to move to 2-1.
Standing in Chris Avila’s way is YouTube star Dr. Mike Varshavski. The 32-year-old has over ten million subscribers and made his amateur debut earlier this year. In May, Varshavski defeated fellow YouTuber IDubbbz by decision in the main event of Creator Clash.
Crossover bouts such as this one aren’t anything new for Jake Paul undercards. Last December, former NBA star Deron Williams faced former NFL All-Star Frank Gore in an exhibition contest.
What do you think about this fight announcement? Sound off in the comment section below!