"I've just never seen a flip-flop like that in a 24-hour period" - Chael Sonnen amused by the odds for Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva fight
Chael Sonnen claims that he was amused by the opening odds of Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva after the fight got announced. Sonnen pointed out that while fans love to discredit Paul's efforts to revitalize boxing by claiming that he hasn't fought a real boxer, the odds suggest otherwise.
#PaulSilva is really happening. 🥊
Jake Paul and UFC legend Anderson Silva face off for the first time ahead of their Oct. 29 boxing match. https://t.co/Ikbp9lAXKm
Jake Paul opened as a betting favorite, listed as high as a -180 favorite on BetOnline. Whereas Anderson Silva surprisingly opened as a +150 underdog. The odds have now changed, with Silva emerging a -150 favorite and his American opponent sitting as the +110 underdog.
Chael Sonnen, who was performing the hosting duties for the Paul vs. Silva press conference, was amused by the opening odds:
''The day the fight was announced, Jake Paul was a two-to-one favorite. Now that surprised me cause the whole world is saying Jake Paul is not good enough. Whole world is saying he doesn't belong. But when it was time to part with their money, they had Jake as a favorite over Anderson Silva. I was stunned by that.''
Sonnen added:
''24 hours later, they straightened that out. I've just never seen a flip-flop like that in a 24-hour period."
'The Problem Child' and 'The Spider' are slated to face each other inside the boxing ring at Glendale Arena in Glendale, Arizona on October 29. Paul hasn't competed since his last knockout victory against Tyron Woodley back in December 2021, in an event billed as ''Leave No Doubt''.
Meanwhile, Silva put on a clinic against Bruno Machado, including a vicious knockdown in the fifth round in his last exhibition outing in May this year..
Watch the video below:
Chael Sonnen claims that Dana White's challenge for Jake Paul to box Anderson Silva served as the catalyst for the Paul vs. Silva fight
Jake Paul and Dana White have been at loggerheads with each other. The YouTuber-turned-pugilist has been extremely vocal regarding the issues that plague the UFC, including fighter pay and athlete welfare.
He has also called out for fights against the biggest names in the UFC. This provoked Dana White, who challenged 'The Problem Child' to box Anderson Silva. The longest reigning champion in UFC history, Silva made the switch to boxing after retiring from his MMA career.
Dana White saying I’d never fight Anderson Silva
(1/2) https://t.co/D5p1fZM2us
Chael Sonnen stated that it was indeed Dana White's challenge that made this fight possible:
''I'm not sure if we'd be here today if Dana had not publicly made that statement. I heard Dana say it. And I thought maybe Dana is not right about that. Because big brother Logan had just got in with Floyd Mayweather. Them Pauls man. They will go take a risk. But that statement by Dana is a large part what kicked this whole thing off."