Jake Paul has enjoyed much boxing success against the UFC’s retirees, and likely expects more of the same when he faces Nate Diaz.
The likes of Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Ben Askren have all tasted defeat against the YouTuber. Despite this, Andre Ward, a decorated boxer and old sparring partner of Diaz’s, appeared on The MMA Hour to point out that Diaz has far more to offer than one might otherwise expect.
Why Nate Diaz Is A Tougher Fight For Jake Paul Than People Realize
“People look at that mitt session that they had and they just misread the play, man, [because] those type of shots, they don’t look pretty, but they keep coming. They keep coming from different angles and he’s got some miles on him. He’s been around a long time.
[Diaz has] to show that he can take the shot from Jake Paul, because Jake has a natural right hand, it’s got power on it. So if he can take that right hand from Jake Paul, it’s gonna be a tougher fight than people realize, man, because Nate’s going to keep coming.”
Ward, a multiple time world champion, seemingly retired after his last fight in 2017. He retired with an unblemished 32-0 record, but has remained open to the prospect of returning to competition.
Exhibition matches and novelty fights have proved lucrative to boxing alumni in recent years, with Jake Paul and his brother Logan at the forefront of the influencer boxing industry.
Ward, an old sparring partner of Nate Diaz’s, expects to help his fellow Californian to call upon his services in the build-up to the Paul fight.
“Not to go too deep into it, but he’s reached out and we’re gonna connect at a certain point when the fight is getting close.
But that’s my brother. I respect what he’s done for Stockton and in this area, him and his brother [Nick Diaz], and it’s going to be a good fight.”
Nate Diaz’s work with the Paul fight is cut out for him. Paul’s lumbering 200-pound frame towers over Diaz, who competed in the UFC at lightweight and welterweight.
Although Diaz’s striking is far from amateurish, his primary weapon in the Octagon was his grappling, with Diaz boasting 12 submission wins in his pro career. On the other hand, Diaz is a famously tough fighter to put away, with no knockout losses on his record, only referee-intervention TKOs.
With Jake Paul coming off the back of a loss to Tommy Fury, if Diaz can weather the storm of Paul’s massive right hand, he may well hand Paul his first ever losing streak.
