Nate Diaz will train with former boxing world champion Andre Ward for his upcoming fight against Jake Paul.
Diaz, 38, is scheduled to make his boxing debut against Paul, 26, in Dallas, Texas on August 5. Despite it being the fight marking Diaz's first appearance in the ring, the UFC no legend is no stranger to the boxing world having sparred with the likes of Ward and Regis Prograis in the past.
Ward has now revealed he will help Diaz with his fight preparations, as he said on The MMA Hour : “Not to go too deep into it but he has reached out and we are going to connect at a certain point, when the fight’s getting close. That’s my brother, man. I respect what he’s done for Stockton, in this area, him and his brother. It’s going to be a great fight."
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Fans were quick to fear the worst for Diaz after a training clip of him on the pads surfaced on social media, but Ward thinks many people misinterpret just how good Diaz's boxing skills are. “People look at that mitt session that they had and they just misread the play. Those type of shots, they don’t look pretty, but they keep coming. They keep coming from different angles and he’s got some miles on him," he added.
"He’s been around a long time. He has to show that he can take the shot from Jake because Jake has a natural right hand, it’s got power on it. If he can take the right hand from Jake, it’s gonna be a tougher fight than people realise because Nate’s going to keep coming.”
Diaz hasn't fought since tapping out Tony Ferguson in his final UFC fight last September whilst Paul suffered his first defeat in the ring at the hands of Tommy Fury in February. Diaz has also been backed by former sparring partner Prograis, who thinks Paul will be in for a tough night against the Stockton-native.
“He was super tough,” Prograis said of Diaz. “I kind of knew that already. I knew Nate Diaz, I knew his reputation, so I knew he was going to be real tough. That’s kind of what it was. We just went and locked horns and tried to kill each other. He has a pretty decent standup game. It’s not on the level of a boxer, but for MMA, his hands are really good."
