Hall of Fame trainer and boxing analyst Teddy Atlas has given his take on the upcoming boxing match between social media star Jake Paul and combat sports icon Nate Diaz.
This Saturday night in Dallas, Paul will collide with Diaz in a ten round fight, with a contracted weight of 185-pounds. Their fight will headline a pay-per-view card on DAZN.
Paul is coming off the first defeat of his career, after dropping an eight round split decision to Tommy Fury in February.
Diaz, who makes his professional debut in boxing, is a tremendous underdog in the contest.
But, Atlas is not counting Diaz out.
“You can’t count Nate Diaz out because of that mental resolve, that realm that is his realm that he knows how to find a way,” Atlas said on “DC & RC.”
“Not to be deterred, not to give in in any way, not to be compromised. People are compromised when they get into that environment, and he doesn’t get compromised Diaz. He has that going for him.”
At the same time, Paul is far more experienced in a boxing ring, he’s physically bigger, he can punch and has better technique.
“I’m picking Paul to win the fight and the reason I’m picking him to win the fight is he has developed himself enough,” Atlas said.
“I’ll make it real simple: He throws straighter punches than Diaz. He’s got the straight jab. I think that could control Diaz on the outside and he’s got the straight right hand. Sometimes, Diaz breaks the rules. He breaks the laws in the ring where he throws wide punches right in front of you.
“And if you throw wide punches, you don’t need me to tell you, you learned that in geometry, didn’t you, where straight beats round? Even I learned that. Straight beats round, so one thing Paul has gotten down with is he’ll throw those punches nice and straight. He’s done a good job with that – that, and the experienced he’s gained where again, he doesn’t fall apart in that domain.”