The fight between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz Saturday night will not go down as one of the greatest in boxing history. But regardless of the outcome, it’s a testament to Paul’s rise.
Less than four years ago he made his boxing debut against fellow YouTube celebrity AnEsonGib. Now he’s a solid favorite against Diaz, the UFC stalwart who will be making his pro boxing debut in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds at 185 pounds.
Paul has gone from sideshow to one of the top draws in combat sports.
Ringside seats are priced for up to $5,000 in what is expected to be a near-sellout at American Airlines Center, the 20,000-seat venue and home of the Dallas Mavericks and Stars.
The fight could generate in excess of $30 million, with Paul predicting 500,000 pay-per-view buys.
The days of being paired up against the likes of retired NBA All-Star Nate Robinson, on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition match, are long gone.
Now Paul calls the shots.
Following along with USA TODAY Sports for updates from the card, including round-by-round analysis of the Paul-Diaz fight:
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz pay per view card begins
The action is underway in Dallas. Angel Beltran and Alan Sanchez have made their ringwalks and are in the ring for a bout scheduled for eight rounds.
When is the Jake Paul-Nate Diaz fight?
The card is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET at Dallas’ American Airlines Center.
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz pay per view
The card is available on both DAZN and ESPN+ for $59.99.
Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul prediction
Paul has overhauled his team after the setback against Tommy Fury.
Most significantly, he cut ties with trainer BJ Flores and brought in Shane Mosley, the former world champion who worked with Paul in the YouTube celebrity’s pro debut in 2019.
He also hired Larry Wade, a seasoned boxing coach who has overseen the strength and conditioning program. Paul says he’s in the best shape of his boxing career.
There appears to be no hard feelings between Paul and Flores, who helped develop Paul into a legitimate boxer and will be in Dallas for the fight.
“My prediction is the fight will not go past four rounds because Nate is not going to have the type of defense to keep Jake off of him,’’ Flores said, “and the more aggressive he is, the worse it’s going to be for him.
“I think Nate’s going to be aggressive, he’s going to have to be aggressive, and that’s going to play right into Jake.’
Nate Diaz, Jake Paul hold vulgar press conference
During a Thursday press conference to promote their fight, Diaz used an anti-gay slur and Paul said he would sexually assault Diaz if they met in a dark street and there was nobody around.
The vulgar language broke out during a 20-minute press conference held in front of a boisterous crowd in Dallas.
Tela Mange, spokesperson for the Texas Boxing Commission, told USA TODAY Sports by email, “We do not regulate what the fighters say to each other or anyone else.”
Members of the fighters’ security teams traded punches when a melee broke out at the end of the press conference.
Bad blood spills over into Friday weigh-ins
Diaz, after acknowledging loud cheers from the crowd, said of Paul, “No matter how the fight goes, let’s don’t forget, ‘This (expletive) can’t really fight.’ ”
With that, Diaz shot Paul the double bird and fired off more profanity as he left the stage.
Responded Paul, “Man, they’ve been saying Nate’s tough. Nate’s a dog. Well, guess what… Tomorrow, I’m dog walking that (expletive)! I’m putting him on a leash, and I’m sending him back to the cage!’’
Jake Paul weight
Paul weighed in at 185 on the nose Friday.
Nate Diaz weight
Diaz weighed in at 184.9 pounds Friday.
Jake Paul fight record
Jake Paul is 6-1 (4 KOs) as a professional boxer, with wins over a number of notable UFC fighters (Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren) as well as former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Who did Jake Paul lose to?
Paul is coming off his first loss — a split decision defeat vs. Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, in February.
Nate Diaz fight record
This will be Nate Diaz’s first professional boxing match, but he has extensive fighting experience in MMA. Diaz has compiled a 22-13 record in MMA, with notable wins over Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller and, most recently, Tony Ferguson.
Former Jake Paul opponent Tyron Woodley: Age difference could be issue for Nate Diaz
Like Diaz, former UFC champion Tyron Woodley made his professional boxing debut against Paul. He lost their first fight by split decision and got knocked out in the rematch.
Though Woodley declined to make a prediction, he did offer analysis, suggesting age could be an issue for the 38-year-old Diaz against the 26-year-old Paul.
“He’s going to be slower, he’s going to be older, he’s gong to lose a lot of the power,’’ Woodley told USA TODAY Sports of Diaz. “But he will have the advantage with cardio and he will have the advantage with volume. He’s going to throw way more punches, way more punches than Jake’s going to throw.
“He’s going to pressure Jake and Jake’s going to hit him with some (expletive) that most people would have buckled and went away from. And Nate may be one of the guys that still walk him down.’’
Woodley said he’s too busy to watch fights these days – but is making an exception tonight. Mostly, he said, he wants to see the two fighters make a lot of money.
“So they’ve got me watching and I’m a hard sell, I think they’re going to do well,’’ he said.
Cesar Gracie: Nate Diaz ‘not going to get rattled by a YouTube guy’
Cesar Gracie, Diaz’s longtime Jiu-Jitsu teacher, said he has no qualms about Diaz moving from the cage to the boxing ring. He pointed out that many years ago Diaz sparred against Andre Ward, the retired world champion boxer.
“He’s used to boxing really good people,’’ Gracie told USA TODAY Sports of Diaz. “Nate, he definitely could have been a boxer.’’
But unsolicited, Gracie also pointed out that Diaz, 38, is considerably older than Paul, 26, and moving up in weight to 185 pounds from his typical fighting weight of 170 pounds.
“So I can see why a lot of people give Jake the edge, and why he’s the favorite. “ Gracie told USA TODAY Sports. “But I like Nate’s chances, a lot.
“Nate’s a true veteran, he’s been in huge fights, main events, the whole thing. And he’s not going to get rattled by a YouTube guy.’’
Opinion: Bringing Nate Diaz to the ring is a black eye for boxing
Nate Diaz, in 2013, was doing something awful, and unfortunately it wouldn’t be the last time. He used a homophobic slur on Twitter and it was so bad that even the UFC, which seems to tolerate a lot of bad behavior, suspended Diaz for 90 days and fined him $20,000.
Diaz took the suspension to heart and changed his ways. He decided that being homophobic was wrong. That attacking a group of people was wrong. He said it would never happen again and was deeply sorry. He grew and learned and became a much better man.
Nah, LOL, that didn’t happen because Nate Diaz would be awful again.
Boxing isn’t a place for saints. All sports and leagues have their goons. I mean, Deshaun Watson has a job. Boxing has had plenty of bad guys. I get that.
But boxing is making a bad deal with the devil by embracing Diaz. If the sport thinks Diaz is a fix for its problems, that’s just dead wrong. Maybe because he’s a big name he provides a sugar high, a short-term spike, but as his use of a slur (twice) shows, he’s more likely to embarrass boxing than help save it. — Mike Freeman
Jake Paul net worth
Paul, who rose to fame as a social media star, particularly on YouTube, has a net worth around $60 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. According to Forbes, Paul made roughly $40 million from boxing in 2021.