Later this summer, Nate Diaz will go head-to-head against Jake Paul in the boxing ring in what is expected to be a hugely anticipated contest between the two fighters.
Both fighters have made their entrance into the boxing world in contrasting fashion as Paul entered the sport through his YouTube success, while Diaz is a former UFC fighter, who competed in the sport for 15 years before leaving in 2022.
It will be interesting to see how Diaz will perform in the ring given that he has made the switch into the boxing world following a successful career in the UFC Octagon, where he boasted a record of 22-13-0.
If Paul is to beat Diaz in the ring this summer, then he will not only have to defeat him physically, but also mentally because Famed MMA trainer Firas Zahabi once described him as such: “If you put him in a fight where there is no time limit, I think he beats 99 percent of fighters.”
It is not just Zahabi who has trained Diaz, professional boxer and world champion Regis Prograis has also shared the ring once before with the American, and he was impressed with the efforts of the UFC fan favourite.
Prograis released footage of him sparring Diaz back in 2020, and it can be argued that the 37-year-old more than held his own as he was put through his paces in an attempt to progress his career.
“Nate was in here, warming up and stuff, and his sparring partner didn’t come. And it was like, ‘S***! Do you wanna spar?’ I was like, ‘Hell yeah!’
“I was bloated, I was slow, but I still had the power, and it was pay-per-view TV. I’ve still got the video and one day I’ll put it out – we ran it, for sure.”
Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz
The glowing praise for Diaz suggests that he will represent one of the toughest challenges of Paul’s short boxing career, however, the 25-year-old can draw upon strength from the seven professional fights that he has competed in since 2019, including claiming two victories over ex-UFC fighter Tyron Woodley, as well as beating UFC legend Anderson Silva.
However, Paul is likely to be extra motivated to defeat Diaz because the American tasted defeat against Tommy Fury last time out back in February, and the YouTuber says that “the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations.
“The world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight… but that’s not how I am built.”
There has already been some fighting talk from Paul as yesterday he tweeted that the fight will take place on the 5th of August in Dallas in the United States of America, and it promises to be an enthralling clash.
The fight of the summer? Maybe!
