By:  | April 13, 2023 9:44 am

Jake Paul has not spent too long dwelling on his split decision defeat to Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia. The YouTuber will be fighting on home soil on August 5th when he takes on UFC veteran Nate Diaz in a boxing match.

No details about the format of the fight are available but DAZN Boxing are involved so it is safe to assume they will be competing in this sport. It will be Diaz’s first fight since leaving the UFC.

The 37 year old left on a high with a submission win over fellow veteran Tony Ferguson. While information about just how much money Jake Paul fights generate is difficult to come by this has all the makings of a career high pay day for Diaz.

First defeat

The bout is set for the 20,000 capacity American Airlines Center. Diaz will be making his boxing debut while Paul is looking to bounce back from the first defeat of his career against Tommy Fury.

The man who made his name on YouTube has earned the respect of the boxing world with his ability to sell fights and to actually compete to a high level once the bell sounds. Paul’s record is 6-1 but he has won four fights out of four against UFC veterans.

Paul holds wins over Anderson Silva and Ben Askren as well as pair of victories over Tyron Woodley. Fury was the first opponent he had faced who came from a genuine boxing background and the YouTuber narrowly came up short on that occasion.

Massive experience

When it comes to boxing in MMA his opponent has massive experience. Diaz likes to hold his hands low, bait opponents and fire off combinations of punches and the occasional slap.

That will be more difficult to do with the boxing gloves but it is a style of fighting that should make him a much more dangerous opponent for Jake Paul than the likes of Woodley and Askren. The YouTuber had announced he would be competing on a PFL card although the MMA promotion doesn’t appear to be involved in this event.

Nick Diaz made his pro boxing debut in 2005 and won by decision although he would never compete in the sport again. So his younger brother has potentially been involved in the sport for several decades, even if his fights have all been MMA bouts.

Serious test

This looks set to be another serious test for Jake Paul. Meanwhile Nate Diaz has been involved in some of the biggest UFC fights of all time so should generate plenty of interest.

While Tommy Fury was well known in the UK for his appearance on a reality show as well as his boxing career this fight seems aimed squarely at the American audience. The two men will also be testing the market to discover whether they can put on a lucrative pay per view without the help of a big name promoter.

Fighters will be interested to see how much money Diaz makes from this fight. If it turns out to be a big pay day for the UFC veteran then more of the sport’s biggest stars might start looking to see how much they can earn as free agents.