"They don't stand a chance" - Nate Diaz boldly predicts beating Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in a "real" fight
Nate Diaz seemingly believes he could defeat heavyweight boxing megastars Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in a "real fight."
A veteran MMA fighter, Diaz is considered to be one of the biggest stars in combat sports history. He was a mainstay in the UFC organization from 2007 to 2022. The Stockton native notably won the TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) Season 5 lightweight tournament.
On the other hand, Tyson Fury is the consensus lineal and reigning WBC heavyweight champion in professional boxing. As for Anthony Joshua, he happens to be one of Fury's longtime rivals in the sport. 'AJ' is a former unified heavyweight champion who's currently on a quest to reclaim boxing world title glory.
Following his UFC departure in September 2022, Diaz made his boxing debut against YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul in August 2023. In his maiden boxing showdown, Diaz (21-13 MMA) ended up losing via unanimous decision. The fan-favorite American fighter's boxing record currently stands at 0-1.
Speaking to social media influencer Sneako, former UFC lightweight and welterweight athlete Nate Diaz addressed potentially fighting Fury and Joshua. Diaz indicated that if he were to face the 'The Gypsy King' or 'AJ' in an MMA bout rather than a boxing match, he'd surely beat them.
Over the past several years, Diaz has consistently maintained that an MMA bout is closer to a real-life street fighting scenario than a boxing match is. Keeping in line with his past assertions, the 38-year-old stated:
"I'll f**k up Tyson Fury. I'll f**k up Anthony Joshua. All these motherf**kers in a real fight, like, they don't stand a chance. And then it's like, we've got, everybody's going on boxing [Floyd] Mayweather. We're playing a little game ... I don't like being like, labeled as an 'MMA fighter.' I'm a boxer. I'm a Jiu-Jitsu guy. I'm a kickboxer. I don't like any of the one-dimensional things by itself anyway. I like it all."
Check out Diaz's comments below:
Is a boxing match against Jorge Masvidal on the horizon for Nate Diaz?
Presently, the lineal and WBC heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury is booked to face the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The Fury-Usyk showdown, which would determine boxing's new undisputed heavyweight champion, will transpire on May 18, 2024.
Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua is expected to box former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on March 8, 2024.
Moreover, rumors are rife that Nate Diaz's next professional combat sports contest could be a boxing match against a retired MMA icon, namely the UFC's inaugural BMF champion Jorge Masvidal.
Ariel Helwani had reported that Nate Diaz, who was beaten by 'Gamebred' in an MMA bout in November 2019, could box him later this year (2024). Meanwhile, in a recent Inside Fighting interview, Masvidal didn't confirm that he's boxing Diaz next. Nevertheless, 'Gamebred' implied that he'd KO Diaz if they do clash inside the squared circle.