Eddie Hearn has claimed that despite hoping for a Nate Diaz win over Jake Paul, he feels the YouTube star will land another knockout victory.
The Matchroom Boxing boss has a well-documented feud with Paul, dating back to the week of Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano in April of last year when the pair feuded over the 25-year-old's boxing ability. It led to a rivalry that grew in bitterness, with the pair both still engaged in a defamation lawsuit.
However, that hasn't stopped Hearn from picking Paul to defeat MMA legend Diaz when the pair square off in Houston, Texas on August 5 this year. The veteran promoter handed the YouTuber his professional debut, and has watched as his career has grown, with Paul going 6-1 as a professional.
"I have no idea if Nate can even fight," Hearn told the Matchroom YouTube channel. "I've had some conversations with his guys and it's interesting - what Nate has done means no one knows,. He could get completely smashed to pieces in a round, or he could be a great fighter.
"I hear he used to spar with Andre Ward and stuff like this. If you’re asking me, I think Jake Paul beats him comfortably. But others would know more about his boxing ability - I really hope Nate Diaz wins and I really like Nate Diaz, I'm just saying that so if he sees me after this prediction he doesn't put me to sleep on the concrete! But I think he gets stopped.”
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Paul is an almost unbackable favourite with bookies, given his previous wins over more established MMA fighters such as Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. He is looking to bounce back after losing his first bout earlier this year to Tommy Fury, and is expected to get through Diaz before rematching the Brit at the end of the year.
Woodley and Silva were both established world champions in the MMA world, and likely would have been favoured against Diaz in their respective primes. But Paul was able to put down both, stopping the former welterweight champion in their rematch and winning a decision against the Brazilian, who had defeated former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in his post-UFC boxing run.
