A scheduled crossover boxing match between one the world’s biggest social media stars and a mixed martial arts legend is headed for the Lone Star State.
Earlier this month, promoters announced that the planned boxing match between social media influencer Jake Paul and former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz will take place in Dallas. The fight is currently scheduled to take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday, August 5.
The bout will mark the return to the ring for Paul, who suffered the first loss in his fledgling boxing career earlier this year. Paul, who currently sits at 5-1 in his professional career, dropped a split decision loss to Tommy Fury earlier this year in a highly-publicized pay-per-view bout in Saudi Arabia. Paul currently has knockout wins over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren, and others in his career.
Meanwhile, Diaz will be entering the boxing ring for the first time when he laces up the gloves against Paul. Previously, Diaz was a UFC star who scored wins over Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and others during his time in the cage. Diaz is coming off of a massive win over Tony Ferguson in his final UFC bout last year.
The fight, which is currently still planned, got a bit of extra publicity earlier this month when Diaz accused Paul of using steroids in a late-night tweet. Diaz also challenged Paul to a full championship-length 12 round fight, instead of the currently scheduled eight round bout. At this point in his career, Paul has never fought more than eight rounds.
According to DAZN, the fight will be broadcast globally on pay-per-view through the sports streaming service.