Eddie Hearn believes Jake Paul will finish Nate Diaz in their upcoming boxing match.
On August 5, ‘The Problem Child’ looks to bounce back from his first professional boxing loss. UFC vet Nate Diaz has accepted the challenge and hopes to ruin Paul’s desire for a comeback. Due to the uncertainty of Diaz’s boxing skills, there has been plenty of debate surrounding what will happen in Dallas, Texas.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Hearn offered this prediction for Paul vs. Diaz:
“If you’re asking me, I think Jake Paul beats him [Diaz] comfortably, but you will know more about his boxing ability… I really hope Nate Diaz wins, and I really like Nate Diaz. I’m just saying that so if he sees me after this prediction, he doesn’t put me to sleep, but I think he gets stopped.” [23:17-23:51]
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‘The Problem Child’ last fought on February 26, losing a split decision against Tommy Fury. Since then, Paul’s boxing skills have been questioned. If he can emerge victorious against Diaz, the YouTuber-turned-boxer would be back on track to accomplishing the massive expectations he’s set for himself.
Watch Eddie Hearn's interview with Ariel Helwani below:
Eddie Hearn details the dangers of a warmup fight while discussing Nate Diaz’s boxing debut
Nate Diaz last fought in September 2022, defeating Tony Ferguson by a fourth-round submission in the UFC 279 main event. During his post-fight interview, Diaz announced that he would temporarily leave the UFC to pursue other opportunities, leading to his boxing match against Jake Paul.
While speaking to Ariel Helwani, Eddie Hearn had this to say about the risks of Diaz transitioning to boxing:
“The danger with a warmup fight or an interim fight is people can find out how bad you actually are or, if you got talent, people can find out how good you are, but it’s a risky game because you are rolling the dice for small money and you may lose the opportunity at a big fight. What I like that Nate [Diaz] has done, is no one knows. He could get completely smashed to pieces in a round or he could be a great fighter.” [22:45-23:16]
Regardless of the outcome against Paul, Diaz has teased a return to the Octagon after his upcoming boxing match. There are several intriguing possible opponents for Diaz, including the highly-anticipated trilogy fight against Conor McGregor.