After months of heated verbal exchanges, Jake Paul and Nate Diaz will finally meet inside a boxing ring on Saturday live on DAZN and DAZN PPV.
For Diaz, this will be his professional boxing debut and while he established himself as a dangerous force in MMA, a forray into boxing will pose a different challenge.
Diaz may be coming up against Paul who has often been met with criticism when it comes to his boxing ability, but since making his debut in 2020, he has increased the difficulty of the opponents he's faced, and despite losing to Tommy Fury in February, "The Problem Child" will have an advantage over Diaz when it comes to experience within the squared circle.
As ever with big fights such as Paul vs. Diaz, there are plenty of bets to be made and DAZN takes a look at some of those below.
Paul vs. Diaz odds
- Jake Paul: -390
- Nate Diaz: +280
(All odds via DraftKings as of Wednesday, August 2. These odds could change between now and fight night.)
Paul vs. Diaz prediction
The goal for both these men is simple in this fight — make a statement — but for completely different reasons.
For Jake Paul, he will want to prove that he is still a credible operator in boxing following his loss to Tommy Fury, while Nate Diaz will want to impress in his debut.
No doubt both men will come out swining due to the intense rivalry, but it will be Paul who I can see being the most effective, using his boxing skills to soften up Diaz, most likely by targeting the body before finding an opportunity to land his trademark overhand right.
That does not mean Diaz has no chance of winning. If he is to emerge victorious, the former UFC star will need to make this fight an unpleasant one for Paul and he can do this by using some dark arts to frustrate Paul in the hope that he will make a mistake.
I just cannot see Paul dropping to that level however, and instead can see "The Problem Child" grind Diaz down before landing a knockout blow.
- Astbury's pick: Jake Paul to win in round 8
- Odds: +1200
(All odds via DraftKings as of Wednesday, August 2. These odds could change between now and fight night.)
More Paul vs. Diaz odds
Method of victory
- Jake Paul by Decision or Technical Decision: +350
- Jake Paul by KO/TKO/DQ: -150
- Draw: +1200
- Nate Diaz by Decision or Technical Decision: +750
- Nate Diaz by KO/TKO/DQ: +550
(All odds via DraftKings as of Wednesday, August 2. These odds could change between now and fight night.)