Jake Paul is getting a tamer Nate Diaz than he expected ahead of their upcoming boxing match on Aug. 5, 2023.
Diaz has never been shy to tell his opponents or fellow mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters how he feels about them and that’s been the same to start his professional boxing career. However, Diaz is just being kinder with his words than the general venom one may receive.
Paul, 26, has been somewhat the same in his seven-fight run (6-1) as a boxer. The two publicly called each other out several times in 2022 with verbal jabs here and there. “The Problem Child” is disappointed that the volatility and banter haven’t continued.
“That’s what I wanted — that’s why I signed up for this — is to give the people a show and to squash this beef,” Paul told MMA Junkie. “He talked a lot more s—t to me before we signed up to fight. So, he’s kind of being a b—ch in that sense. I expected more out of him, and I expected him to carry that gangster attitude and to not take my insults. But he’s pretty much rolled over like a b—ch and has been quite boring, which pisses me off. But I’m used to carrying these promotions. It’s no different in this one.”
Paul will be Diaz’s first match in boxing after going 21-13 in his MMA career. Diaz became one of the bigger stars in his sport before departing Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in late 2022 as a free agent and the pre-event numbers support that, according to Paul.
“I think it’s going to surprise everyone,” Paul said of the event. “This is the most amount of interest we’ve had in terms of ticket sales, live gate. We’re pretty much all sold out. The highest average ticket prices for any of my fights. The first time my opponent had this much traction on social media in terms of the posts he’s making about it. So I think it can exceed expectations. I would be happy with 400,000 or 500,000 (pay-per-view buys). But I’m also coming off of selling 830,000 with Tommy [Fury]. So it could be even bigger. Nate Diaz is a bigger star than Tommy Fury. He has more experience in this game. Has sold millions of PPVs throughout his career. So it could shock us all.”