Boxing journalist Dan Rafael has told GIVEMESPORT.com that Jake Paul deserves respect.
The 52-year-old American sportswriter, who is known for his coverage of boxing and baseball, admitted he isn't interested in showbiz fighting but finds himself mildly "intrigued" by the YouTube star.
Paul, 25, improved to 6-0 with the most impressive win of his career, beating UFC legend Anderson Silva last time out.
And Rafael, who has covered the sport for over two decades, gives credit where credit's due.
READ MORE: Jake Paul's four-year boxing transformation from 2018 to 2022 is seriously impressive
Jake Paul pictured with Anderson Silva
What has Dan Rafael said about Jake Paul?
"I'm not a fan of these influencer fights but I do kind of find myself intrigued by the whole Jake Paul sideshow," he exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.com.
"You can say that Anderson Silva doesn't have a background in boxing but the reality is Silva did have four professional fights coming into their boxing match and he won two in a row last year, including against a former world champion, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who may not have been what he was at his best but for a guy that's barely had a professional boxing career that's still a pretty good win.
"So, you know, I do think that if you compare the guys that Jake Paul has faced, not on his pro debut and not the basketball player Nate Robinson and not even maybe Ben Askren, but if you take Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, and there were also the efforts to fight more full time boxers like Hasim Rahman Jr and Tommy Fury and you compare the opposition to the guys that Tommy has fought, it's not like, you know, one is so much greater than the other.
"There's pros and cons to both of them. Jake deserves respect because at least he's trying to fight real boxers. Silva, I don't care if he's 47 years old, the guy's a legend, he was in great shape and he was coming off two pretty good wins.
"So, you know, people want to have it both ways, and I say you can't have it both ways."
READ MORE: WWE: Backstage footage of Brock Lesnar letting Jake Paul know what he thinks of him
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