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DALLAS – Minutes after settling into a seat opposite Nate Diaz, Jake Paul slipped into character. He mocked Diaz’s UFC record and broken speech. “I don’t speak Stockton,” Paul said, referencing Diaz’s central California hometown. He pulled out a toy monkey he claimed bore Diaz’s likeness and mocked Diaz’s familiar fighting stance when the two stood face to face.
“I’m going to do what Conor McGregor couldn’t do,” Paul said. “I’m going to knock this man out.”
It was classic Paul. Vintage Paul. The Paul who sold fights against Ben Askren, Tyronn Woodley and Tommy Fury was at it again, this time against Diaz, the ex-UFC star who will step outside the cage and challenge Paul in a boxing ring on August 5. It will be Diaz’s boxing debut. For Paul, who lost a split decision to Fury in February, it will be his first fight since his first career defeat.
Paul admits the Fury loss stung. The first few days, Paul told SI, were “rattling.” “It just felt like you're sort of in this weird, twisted movie where it just all went wrong.” He felt embarrassed. Humiliated. He knew Fury would be a challenge. But he never imagined he would lose to him. Afterwards he made light of the loss on social media. But on the flight home from Saudi Arabia he wondered if, at 26, it was time to walk away.
“I was like, ‘What the f--- just happened?’” says Paul. “It was definitely a question of like, ‘Damn, do I really want to do this?’ This is not fun right now. This is not fun at all. I don't like this feeling. It's way more fun to win. Definitely that thought arose like, ‘What am I really doing here? What is my purpose in this sport? Do I really love this?’ And so I definitely had to go back and look at those questions again.”
Paul thought about it. Wrote about it. Talked about it. Ultimately, he decided to continue. But with changes. Out was BJ Flores, the ex-cruiserweight contender who had been leading Paul’s training team since his second pro fight. Back in was Shane Mosley, who worked Paul’s corner for his pro debut, and Theo Chambers, a veteran boxing coach. J’Leon Love, a former super middleweight contender who has served a sparring partner, will have a more prominent voice.
“J'Leon, Theo and Shane all kind of were on the same page as to what needed to be corrected,” says Paul. “And I agreed with them.”
Alexis Contreras/DAZN
After losing to Fury, Paul called for a rematch. But he says a showdown with Diaz was always the plan. “Sometimes it's smart to put out there that you want to fight someone else to create negotiating power,” says Paul. Diaz represents a return to fighting MMA fighters. But Diaz, Paul says, is more dangerous. In UFC, Diaz, 38, was a powerful striker. He has a boxing background. He has been a frequent sparring partner of Andre Ward.
“I am being stereotyped as an MMA fighter,” Diaz said. “I don't like being stereotyped as an MMA fighter. I'm a black belt in jiu-jitsu and I would have been a pro boxer when I was 18 years old, but a cage fight came up first. I've been going to boxing gyms since I was 15 years old.”
Paul knows he is in for a fight. And he knows after the loss to Diaz, some may think he doesn’t have the stomach for it. One loss didn’t finish Paul’s boxing career. Two, he knows, will.
“I'm filled with vengeance, ambition, hunger, and drive more than ever before,” Paul said. “I have a lot to prove, two chips on each shoulder, and it's do-or-die for me. Truly, this fight is do-or-die.”
