"It won't go four" - Eddie Hearn makes confident prediction for 'mismatched' Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight
Eddie Hearn has put forth a confident prediction for the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight. YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul is scheduled to face veteran MMA fighter Diaz in a professional boxing match on August 5, 2023.
The fight will mark Paul's return after the first loss of his boxing career, whereas former UFC welterweight Diaz will be making his boxing debut. In the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn discussed the highly-anticipated boxing showdown.
That’s not looking good!!! Mma is in danger #boxing #mma https://t.co/2ulPQ0lNG5
Eddie Hearn criticized the technique Nate Diaz showcased in a recent video wherein he was hitting the pads. He further appeared to suggest that Paul would dominantly beat Diaz. Hearn stated:
"I watched clips of Nate Diaz hit pads. I think I might have even told you. And I was like..." Gesturing that he was baffled to see Diaz's technique, Hearn added, "You know that it's going to be a mismatch against Jake Paul, don't you?" Hearn added.
Ariel Helwani then chimed in and asked if Hearn thinks Diaz would get "smoked" by Paul. Eddie Hearn replied by simply saying "Yes." Additionally, Helwani noted that the Paul-Diaz matchup was recently changed from an eight-round bout to a ten-round matchup.
Eddie Hearn addressed the same and suggested that 'The Problem Child' will probably stop Nate Diaz within four rounds. He highlighted, however, that Diaz might have been bluffing by pretending to punch with bad technique. Hearn noted:
"It won't go four. I mean, listen, unless it's all a bit of a bluff by Nate." Revealing that he was willing to bet on Diaz losing to Paul, Hearn said, "We can have a friendly bet on that fight... I'll give you 3-to-1 on Nate Diaz if you want."
Watch Hearn discuss the topic at 26:41 in the video below:
UFC middleweight star Sean Strickland gives his prediction for Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
Certain sections of the combat sports world believe that the 38-year-old Nate Diaz's wealth of experience in MMA striking and combat as a whole would help him defeat the 26-year-old Jake Paul. Alternatively, others feel that Diaz's MMA striking prowess wouldn't be enough for him to win his boxing debut against a more experienced pugilist like Paul.
UFC middleweight star Sean Strickland recently weighed in on the debate and echoed similar sentiments as the latter group. Responding to a fan's question regarding the Paul-Diaz matchup, Strickland insinuated that Diaz's MMA striking probably won't translate as well into the boxing ring, given the differences in rules and techniques in both sports. 'Tarzan' tweeted:
"Not a chance... He [Diaz] sparred with a boxer I know and he said he couldn't box so on that assumption I'm going to say no lol."
Not a chance... He sparred with a boxer I know and he said he couldn't box so on that assumption I'm going to say no lol twitter.com/RedserMma/stat…