Anthony Smith doesn’t think Jake Paul’s boxing match with Nate Diaz delivered.
Paul (7-1) defeated Diaz (0-1) by unanimous decision this past Saturday at American Airlines Center. The 185-pound boxing match served as the feature bout of the boxing event, and aired live on DAZN/ESPN+ pay-per-view.
Paul was able to knock Diaz down in Round 5, and the Stockton superstar rallied late, but it wasn’t enough. Diaz pulled his usual antics by taunting during the fight, and even locked up a guillotine choke in Round 10 before the referee broke it up. Even though Paul showed good pressure and cardio throughout the fight, Smith didn’t enjoy the bout.
“I’m not super impressed with either one of them if I’m being honest,” Smith said on the “Believe You Me Podcast.” “I don’t think either one of them did a very good job. If you’ve got a guy that’s pointing at the crowd and not engaging in a fight and turning his back to you and you don’t knock that guy out, he’s kind of punking you while you’re beating him. It’s not super impressive from either guy. I was definitely wishful thinking as well.
“I thought Nate’s definitely going to lose the first handful of rounds, and I think maybe he’s going to come on later and gas him out and put the pressure on and make him tired, which is kind of seemingly what Nate tried to do. I think that they sh*t the bed. It wasn’t very exciting. There wasn’t any storylines that were going on. It was just kind of a sh*t fight. How long can Jake Paul continue to do this, be in bad fights?”
Smith explains that the reason he’s not sold on Paul is his continuous matchmaking with older MMA fighters. Paul’s lone loss came to professional boxer Tommy Fury, which was prior to the Diaz win.
“I don’t have any issues with Jake. Whatever – make your money,” Smith said. “I just don’t respect him. He hasn’t done anything to earn it. It really comes down to the size of the guys that he’s fighting. Nate Diaz spent the majority of his career at 155 pounds. He’s a jiu-jitsu black belt. He’s always been a grappler. It’s where he made his money. Obviously he’s had some great striking performances here and there, but he’s primarily a grappler. Ben Askren, primarily a wrestler … Tyron Woodley, a wrestler … Anderson Silva, well past his prime. (Paul) just hasn’t done anything that I respect yet other than financially.”
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.
