Georges St-Pierre calls Anderson Silva’s boxing success ‘inspiring’

In another universe less infested by the Paul brothers, maybe we’re still talking about Anderson Silva, one of MMA’s Mount Rushmore figures, walking into the sport of boxing, and very easily beating a former WBC middleweight champion just a couple of months ago.

At least another member of MMA’s Mount Rushmore did not forget: Georges St-Pierre. He went on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to talk about a lot of things, including what he considered to be a monumental inspiration.

“To me, the way he beat [Julio] César Chávez, it was incredible. And I was under the impression before the fight that César Chávez would dominate him because of his boxing experience. Man, he took everybody by surprise. It was very inspiring to him perform that way. It was very, very inspiring.”

Granted, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was always a polarizing figure. The son of a legend (Julio Cesar Chavez), he was never taken seriously as an elite prospect. He struggled to make weight at times, which even culminated in one of his bouts turning into a No Contest after testing positive for a banned diuretic. But while he received some favorable matchmaking throughout his career, he was anything but coddled in the end, eventually facing killers (the non-Che Mills variety) like Sergio Martinez, and Canelo Alvarez (going the distance in both bouts).

“And what a great ending for Anderson Silva right now,” GSP added. “I hope if he comes back into these kinds of fights, it will be something worth it. Not only about money, but in terms of legacy — something that, it will make him shine, make him look good. Because, man, if you check his last (UFC) performance against Uriah Hall, it was kind of disappointing, it was kind of sad. But what a way to come back. What a way to get back on top. Man, that was amazing.”

Silva is set to box Tito Ortiz this weekend; a considerable step down. Silva may not be what he was once, but it was still fun for MMA fans to see what he still has.