After watching sparring footage from Nate Diaz, Eddie Hearn is expecting Jake Paul to blow the MMA fighter out of the water when they box.
Those in the know on boxing aren’t giving mixed marital arts (MMA) representative, Nate Diaz, much of a chance against Jake Paul when the two collide inside American Airlines Center on Aug. 5, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.
Sparring partners haven’t exactly been gushing about his sparring skills. One called Diaz “tough” and capable of taking a lot of punches. Another noted he was “deathly overweight.” And now Matchroom Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, is predicting a blowout in Paul’s favor that won’t even make it past the halfway point.
“I watched clips of Nate Diaz hit pads … and I was like [what?]” Hearn said on the latest episode of The MMA Hour. “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, right? Yes [he’s getting smoked]. It won’t go four. Listen: unless it’s all a bit of a bluff by Nate, what I saw. Maybe.
“You can see people hit pads and you know whether they can [box],” he finished.
Hearn was so certain in his prediction that he offered show host, Ariel Helwani, extremely favorable odds on a hypothetical bet on the fight.
“I’ll give you 3:1 odds on Nate Diaz,” he said. “And we’re talking about Jake Paul. We’re not talking about Fury or [Anthony Joshua] fighting an MMA fighter. We’re talking about Jake Paul.”
That’s more generous than the two to one odds most books are offering, which works out to Nate being a +220 underdog versus the -285 Paul. In fact, bookies haven’t liked Nate’s chances since the fight was set up. At 38 years of age and a natural Lightweight, they just don’t see him hanging against the 26-year-old, 190-pound Paul. Now with more sparring footage and stories coming out, the line is only moving more in “The Problem Child’s” favor.
How do you see Diaz doing against Paul, Maniacs? Let us know in the comments.
For much more on the Diaz-Paul boxing match in Dallas click here.