ASHTON SYLVE once looked destined to sign for Floyd Mayweather – but he turned down the boxing hero for Jake Paul.
Sylve was a national amateur standout with over 110 bouts and ten titles to his name.
And growing up, he was a regular in Mayweather’s famed Las Vegas boxing club, where he caught the eye of the American icon.
Sylve, 20, told SunSport: “Since I was young he was always like, ‘When you’re ready. We’re here whenever you’re ready.’
“Whenever I saw him he would say, ‘Whenever you’re ready, whenever you’re ready.’”
Sylve left behind the amateurs to turn professional in 2020 at the age of just 16.
The hot prospect had a host of top promoters lining up to secure his signature but dad and mentor Ivan insisted they held out.
And that meant painfully rebuffing approaches from idol Mayweather.
But, as fate would have it, Paul and his business partner Nakisa Bidarian were ready to make an offer that could not be refused.
Sylve revealed: “It was honestly real hard.
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“I was at a point where I was not going to listen to my dad, it was kind of taking too long and I was like five or six fights in.
“I was ready to be on the big stage and I thought Floyd or whoever else would have put me on that spotlight.
“But everything happens for a reason and that’s when Jake came around I think two fights later and Nakisa came to one of my fights.
“I had an amazing knockout and we kind of went from there. If I had gone with someone else, I don’t think I’d be in this position.”
Sylve signed for YouTuber-turned boxer Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in April 2022 and has not looked back since.
He said: “My team and my dad definitely told me to take my time.
“When I had certain offers come my way I definitely wanted to jump at them and get ahead of myself just because of the name of who the promoter was.
“But as soon as MVP went our way – and we went through pretty much every big promotion company – we took our time with them too and heard what they had for us and it wasn’t quite fitting for us.
“But as soon as MVP came, Jake gave us his idea and offer, we met Jake and everything seemed to align.”
Sylve returns on Friday against Estivan Falcao for the WBC junior world title, offering the winner a chance to shoot up the rankings for a future shot at the belt.
He said: “That’s why we’re at this point right now, fighting for the title because the development of my career and the team behind me has pushed me and put me in the right position.”
