MMA superstar Nate Diaz seemingly has the deck stacked against him in his first professional boxing matchup on Aug. 5. Diaz will step in the ring against Jake Paul, a superstar in boxing in his own right and has a 6-1 record. The former UFC lightweight has experience training with high-level fighters like former unified middleweight and lightweight boxing champion Andre Ward in the past. However, training and having an actual boxing fight could give different results.
Paul has victories over MMA legends like Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, who MMA fans and fighters thought would defeat the boxing star. His only defeat was against Tommy Fury by a split decision on Feb. 26. While Paul’s critics in boxing believe that he’d have difficulty against other pro boxers, he has shown that he has enough talent to defeat former MMA fighter transitioning to the sport. At 38 years old, Diaz is seemingly at a disadvantage against the younger, more experienced boxer. The bout will also be contested at 185 pounds, which Diaz has only fought at lightweight and welterweight in MMA
The Boxers and MMA community have weighed in on how they feel about the matchup, and the majority feel Diaz will have a tough night in two months. MMA Kings Head Coach Rafael Cordeiro recently discussed his thoughts on Diaz’s chances and gave some advice to Diaz ahead of his fight.
