Nate Diaz and Jake Paul have reached a deal to share the boxing ring this summer.
It was announced Wednesday that former UFC title challenger Diaz (0-0) and YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul (6-1) will square off on Aug. 5 in Dallas. The fight will be an eight-round boxing match, which will be contested at 185 pounds and go down at American Airlines Center. The fight will be promoted under the DAZN banner and air live on pay-per-view.
Diaz parted ways with the UFC after completing his contract last September. He has been surveying his options since, but it has been no secret he had a desire to cross over into the boxing world. Now he’ll finally get that chance.
“Besides Canelo, he’s the biggest thang in boxing,” Diaz said in a statement. “I’m here to conquer that. I’m the king of combat sports, and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts. I f*cked up Conor for acting out and now here I am again, like a super hero of the Real Fight game, the king of the Real Fight game.”
Paul, meanwhile, gets the biggest fight of his boxing career despite coming off a loss to Tommy Fury in his most recent outing. He has been predicting he would eventually fight Diaz for the better part of three years, and now it will happen.
“My last fight didn’t end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations,” Paul said. “Now the world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that’s not how I am built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long.
“People tell me Nate has been training with Andre Ward for years, that he has insane stamina, that he refuses to back down. Good for f*cking Nate. I haven’t forgotten about the slap backstage in Arizona, and on August 5th, a ‘Problem Child’ is going to piece up and knock out the ‘Stockton G.’”