By Ian S Palmer
Jake Paul of Cleveland, Ohio will be back in the ring this Saturday, August 5th when he takes on mixed martial arts star Nate Diaz of Stockton, California. The 10-round cruiserweight battle from Dallas, Texas can be seen live on DAZN pay-per-view or regular DAZN in most nations. It can also be seen on the FITE Network while fans in Australia can catch it on Main Event. Paul last fought in February when he stopped an eight-round split decision to Tommy Fury while this will be Diaz’s first-ever sanctioned pro boxing match.
The 26-year-old Paul enters the ring with a mark of 6-1 with 4 KO’s and has boxed 34 rounds since making his pro boxing debut in 2020. He stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 76-inch reach and has decent good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 57.1 per cent but has gone the distance in his last two fights. He also possesses decent boxing skills for somebody who made his name on You Tube and appears to take the sport seriously.
As for his list of opponents so far, most of them have fighting backgrounds at least as he’s taken on Ali Eson Gib, former NBA player Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, Tyrone Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva and Tommy Fury. He stopped Gib in the first round, Robinson in the second round, Askren in the first round and Woodley in the sixth round of their rematch after fighting to an eight-round split decision win in their first meeting. He then beat Silva by eight-round unanimous decision after dropping him in the final round and was beaten by a mediocre boxer in Tommy Fury.
The 38-year-old Diaz is best known for fighting in the UFC for more than 15 years and before that he competed in Pancrase, Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting. His MMA record is reportedly 22-13 with 5 Ko’s and he won a silver medal at the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships in 2005. He went 1-1 in the UFC against Conor McGregor as he beat him by second-round submission in March, 2016 and lost by majority decision in the rematch five months later.
As far as size goes, the controversial Diaz measures 6-feet-tall and like Paul, has a 76-inch reach. He’s not really known for his power and fought mainly in the 155-pound lightweight and 170-lb welterweight divisions in the UFC. This is his first boxing match and he’ll need to be wary of Paul’s jab and straight right hand, which are both pretty good. Diaz does move pretty well though and likes to attack the body.
Prediction…
Diaz is well known for his toughness but he’s entering a new sport here. He’s 12 years older than Paul and is the naturally smaller man. His best bet is to turn the fight into some type of brawl where pure boxing skills may not be as significant. Whether you view these types of fights as novelty acts or not, both men are serious here and intend to win and cause damage. Paul has faced a few opponents with fighting backgrounds but lost when he met an actual pro boxer in Tommy Fury, who is mediocre at best. Paul has some potential as a boxer due to his age and willingness to learn but he needs to continue to face pro boxers to improve and succeed. This tilt can go either way and let’s not forget a draw is a good possibility, but as it’s a straight-up boxing match, I give Paul the edge.
