Matchroom Boxing CEO and occasional Jake Paul business partner-cum-nemesis Eddie Hearn has a prediction for Paul’s upcoming boxing match against Nate Diaz. Paul will face Diaz, a former UFC lightweight, on August 5, and Hearn recently appeared on The MMA Hour to offer his evaluation on Diaz’s striking acumen.
Hearn discussed the fight with Ariel Helwani, who has long been a vocal Nate Diaz fan. “I watched clips of Nate Diaz hit pads, I think I might’ve even told you, and I was like [staring blankly, open-mouthed].
Eddie Hearn: Nate Diaz Gets “Smoked” By Jake Paul
You know that it’s going to be a mismatch against Jake Paul, don’t you? I know you love Nate Diaz, and I love him. Listen, I’ve only met him a couple times — what a gent. But for it to be a mismatch against Jake Paul? Yes [he’s getting smoked].”
Nate Diaz, although he never earned UFC gold, became a firm fan favorite thanks to his brash persona and outstanding durability. His most famous rivalry in the Octagon was with Conor McGregor, who fought Diaz twice, with each getting a win apiece.
Diaz finished McGregor via submission in their first meeting, consistent with his most potent weapon as a fighter: his highly aggressive grappling and submission game.
That’s not to say that Diaz’s striking was ineffective in the Octagon. Diaz was capable of delivering high-volume punches and trained extensively with a variety of top-shelf boxers, including Andre Ward.
Whether the attributes that fuelled Diaz’s UFC success – namely, his cardio and resilence – can translate to boxing success against Jake Paul, a heavier, taller man with more boxing experience, is another story entirely.
As a result, Eddie Hearn is predicting an early victory for the YouTuber. “You can see people hit pads and you know whether they can [box].
From what I saw, maybe you [Helwani] against Nate is a 50-50. But we can have a friendly bet on that fight, and I’ll give you odds. I don’t know what the actual line is, because you guys do things a little bit different over here, but I’ll give you 3-to-1 on Nate Diaz if you want it.
Honestly [I’m that confident]. And we’re talking about Jake Paul. We’re not talking about [Tyson] Fury or AJ [Anthony Joshua] fighting an MMA fighter. We’re talking about Jake Paul.”
It won’t go four [rounds]. I mean, listen, unless it’s all a bit of a bluff by Nate, what I saw. Maybe.”
