Nate Diaz to make boxing debut against hated rival Jake Paul

It’s the combat rivalry that fans may not know they needed but they will get on August 5th in Dallas when MMA legend Nate Diaz will make his boxing debut against Jake Paul. The hatred between the two men goes back about 18 months. Diaz and Paul have exchanged trash talk on social media and in interviews. This past October, during a boxing event headlined by Paul and UFC legend Anderson Silva, Diaz's team and Paul's team got into an altercation backstage. Paul called out Diaz in the post fight interview after defeating Silva. Paul (6-1) looks to rebound after losing his first career boxing match in his last bout to Tommy Fury. However, Diaz fits the bill in the department in which Paul has been successful in. Fury is undefeated boxing past MMA fighters, including Silva, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. The interesting aspect about this fight is that it will be contested at 185 pounds and is contracted for eight rounds with 10-ounce gloves. The first thing that jumps out is the agreed to weight because normally Diaz fights at 155 pounds and more recently at 170 pounds in MMA. Paul has fought as heavy as 191.5 pounds as a pro. He weighed in at 183.6 pounds for Fury. "My last fight didn't end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations," Paul said in a statement. "Now, the world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that's not how I am built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long." As for Diaz he has agreed to a 50-50 collaboration between Paul's Most Valuable Promotions and Diaz's Real Fight Inc. It will be the first time Diaz has ever promoted himself, the first time he'll fight outside the UFC in 15 years and his first career pro boxing match. Diaz has long since been the type of fighter to bet on himself and call his shots; this is the exact trait that makes him so beloved and popular. "Besides Canelo, he's the biggest thang in boxing," Diaz said in a statement. "I'm here to conquer that. I'm the King of combat sports and then I'm headed back to get my UFC belts. I f---ed up Conor for acting out and now here I am again, like a SuperHero of the Real Fight game, the King of the Real Fight game." Diaz may have limited boxing experience but he was a former sparring partner of former world champion Andre Ward. Diaz has made it known that after this fight he plans on jumping back into the UFC, setting up a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor and chasing UFC gold. Diaz (21-13) fought out his UFC contract with a submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September. The beauty of this fight is both fighters are promoting the event so there have not been any undercard bouts announced as of yet but one idea is having a series of fights featuring both camps that will help the two settle the long standing beef between the two camps. The storyline ultimately makes sense for both sides. "Nate's departure from the UFC made him the most sought-after free agent in combat sports history with all eyes looking to see what his next move would be," Real Fight Inc. president Zach Rosenfield said in a statement. "In choosing to make his boxing debut against Jake Paul, Nate found an opponent where there is an organic, non-scripted backstory that motivates him and will clearly capture the excitement of audiences throughout the world."