Jake Paul held nothing back as he expressed his lack of respect for the MMA star Nate Diaz.
The duo will square off in a ten-round boxing fight on August 5th, 2023, in what will be Diaz’s debut in the ring.
Paul is the favorite, but will be looking to recover from his defeat against Tommy Fury in his last fight. Diaz, in contrast, has not fought since his win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279.
However, when it comes to Diaz, Paul did not hold him in the highest regard.
“I respect his career, I don’t respect him as a person. There is a difference. He’s a bully, he’s a punk, he beats up innocent people, he’s always trying to cause a scene, throwing water bottles at people.
“He’s always high. Like what kind of example is that to set for everyone? They are smoking all the f*****g all the time. I don’t like these things about him, someone has to bully the bully and that is what I am going to do on Saturday,” Paul
Diaz had infamously thrown water bottles during a presser involving Conor McGregor. And it is that respect that Diaz will have to earn, which is why the MMA star is keen to make a statement.
Although he has a chance to hand Paul his second loss, Diaz admitted that he was not the biggest fan of crossover fights.
This was on the grounds that there are limitations on what can be done in a boxing ring in comparison to the UFC.
In addition, MMA stars have found it difficult to enter the boxing ring: take, for example, Conor McGregor’s defeat to Floyd Mayweather. However, Diaz has a chance to shock the world.
Nate Diaz Says Boxing-MMA Crossover Fights Are ‘F—— Played Out & Burned A Bit' https://t.co/GETNys668m pic.twitter.com/knQa4r1vhn
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) August 3, 2023
“It’s f——- played out to me and burned a little bit…It’s funny people get it confused with the competitiveness in the boxing ring. The boxers talk a lot of s**t … but these aren’t real fights. They are boxing.
“You might as well be playing basketball. It’s not even a real fight. It’s participating in a piece of a fight. I’d rather have the fight be three rounds.
“The quicker the better. You think I am going in there to play around and stay in there all day long? I’m going in there to finish the fight as soon as possible,” Diaz