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The fight between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz Saturday night will not go down as one of the greatest in boxing history. But regardless of the outcome, it’s a testament to Paul’s rise.
Less than four years ago he made his boxing debut against fellow YouTube celebrity AnEsonGib. Now he’s a solid favorite against Diaz, the UFC stalwart who will be making his pro boxing debut in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds at 185 pounds.
Paul has gone from sideshow to one of the top draws in combat sports.
Ringside seats are priced for up to $5,000 in what is expected to be a near-sellout at American Airlines Center, the 20,000-seat venue and home of the Dallas Mavericks and Stars.
The fight could generate in excess of $30 million, with Paul predicting 500,000 pay-per-view buys.
The days of being paired up against the likes of retired NBA All-Star Nate Robinson, on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition match, are long gone.
Now Paul calls the shots. Co-main event time
Amanda Serrano is putting her titles on the line in a rematch with Heather Hardy. The pair are in the ring now.
Rapper Saweetie joined Serrano, who rocked a Dallas Cowboys-themed getup and matching Jordans, for the ringwalk. Chris Avila defeats Jeremy Stephens
In a battle of two guys with extensive MMA experience, Chris Avila defeated longtime UFC stalwart Jeremy Stephens. Avila, a friend of the Diaz brothers, got the victory via unanimous decision, 59-55, 59-55, 60-54. Seemingly in control for most of the six-round fight, Avila began taunting Stephens during the fourth round.
Avila landed 141 punches to Stephens’ 81. Jake Paul arrives for fight on a tank
Jake Paul has proven throughout his career that he can get people’s attention. He did it again Saturday night, arriving for his fight with Nate Diaz … riding on a tank.
According to the broadcast, Paul arrived on the tank around 8:55 p.m. local time. At least per the broadcast, Diaz’s entrance was much more low-key: they showed him simply walking through the hallways of the American Airlines Center at 8:45 p.m. local. Former foe Ben Askren weighs in on Jake Paul-Nate Diaz fight
Ben Askren, who suffered a first-round knockout against Paul in 2021, offered his take on the Paul-Diaz fight.
“I know I stink at boxing, I don’t know how people think Diaz is gonna win given the fact that Jake has beaten much large(r) Tyron (Woodley) and Anderson (Silva). Seems very unlikely,” Askren wrote on social media.
Askren was the first MMA fighter to face Paul in the boxing ring. Diaz will be the fourth. Ashton Sylve knocks out William Silva
Sylve wasn’t done after his second-round knockdown. The 19-year-old leveled Silva with another body shot at the 2:59 mark of the fourth round, earning the stoppage after Silva failed to rise. Ashton Sylve provides first knockdown of the night
Ashton Sylve dropped William Silva to the canvas with a body shot in the second round of their match. It was the first knockdown of the main card. Shadasia Green defeats Olivia Curry
Shadasia Green did not get the finish, but she left little doubt. Green earned a unanimous decision victory over Olivia Curry to improve to 13-0. The judges scored the 10-round bout 99-91, 100-90, 100-89 in favor of Green, who connected on 46% of her punches (179-for-385) to Curry’s 20% (99-for-495).
Green took over the fight in the sixth round, unleashing on Curry, and stayed in control. Though perhaps little consolation for Curry, she became the first woman to go the distance with Green since 2019; Green had stopped her previous nine opponents. Jake Paul promotes fight vs. Nate Diaz with gruesome image
Paul used his Twitter account to send a gruesome message before the fight. He posted a graphic that featured a photoshopped image of Paul holding the bloodied, decapitated head of Nate Diaz. The accompanying comment: “Sending him back to the cage.” Jake Paul’s brother Logan gets WWE win at SummerSlam
In what was dubbed as the “most viral match” for WWE, Logan Paul — Jake Paul’s older brother who has one professional boxing bout under his belt and also once fought Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition — again proved how good of a wrestling heel he is. Paul started the match vs. Ricochet in control, all while egging on the crowd to continue booing him.
