Jake Paul defeated Nate Diaz in their boxing match this past weekend, but it's not the end of their rivalry. In fact, there's a possibility they have a rematch in MMA under the PFL banner after Diaz seemed to show interest in Paul's post-fight $10 million offer.
You may be thinking Diaz absolutely wipes the floor with Paul in MMA. However, Paul is not only bigger, younger and quicker than Diaz — he also has experience wrestling where with some extra training, it should help him negate any potential Diaz takedown attempt.
Jake Paul is not the only pro boxer who has dabbled into wrestling, either. Whether it's wrestling growing up or doing some occasional training with MMA fighters, here are five pro boxers who have dabbled into wrestling.
Jake Paul
As aforementioned, Paul is no stranger to grappling in the form of wrestling. However, there has been some confusion as to what level of wrestling he truly did. Leading up to his boxing match with Tyron Woodley in 2021, Paul revealed the following:
“People seem to forget that I was a state wrestler – Division 1 in Ohio. That’s one of the hardest wrestling states and I don’t see why if I can do boxing at this high of a level, that I couldn’t do MMA at this high of a level.”
Paul didn't exactly wrestle at the Division 1 NCAA level. However, his high school was in Division 1 in Ohio and he did reach the sectional finals in the Northeast region in 2014. He lost in lopsided fashion to Cornell All-American Ben Darmstadt, but reaching the sectional finals is impressive in itself.
There will definitely be rust, but with some training, Paul should have a good enough base to excel in the grappling department in MMA and when it comes to defending takedowns in particular.
Logan Paul
This is kind of cheating as Paul is more of a WWE superstar nowadays, but the fact remains that he has boxed professionally as well as had a number of exhibition matches — most notably against Floyd Mayweather. And like his younger brother, Paul has wrestled as well, but has even more impressive credentials.
Unlike Jake, Logan finished in fifth place competing at 182 pounds at the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships in 2013 and would even go on to join the wrestling team at Ohio University. He would eventually leave Ohio University to pursue his career as a YouTuber with his wrestling record reportedly said to be 35-10.
But while he mainly does professional wrestling, Paul still trains and if he is to fulfill one of his dreams in competing in the UFC, he won't be an easy task by any means as far as getting him to the ground is concerned.
Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford made headlines late last month after his epic ninth-round TKO win over Errol Spence Jr. that saw him crowned as the undisputed welterweight champion. Crawford not only solidified himself as the greatest welterweight of today's generation in the process, but also as the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.
Interestingly, Crawford has plenty of experience in wrestling too. After all, his family is full of accomplished wrestlers so it's something he did a lot growing up. Even though his preference was boxing and that's the path he ultimately took, Crawford's wrestling ability is clearly evident.
While he didn't carry his family's wrestling legacy, his sons certainly are as they all currently train in wrestling and compete in tournaments. Just don't expect them to compete in MMA because as Crawford put it — it doesn't pay enough.
Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury hasn't trained in wrestling specifically, but he did do some work on the ground while rolling with Nick Diaz last year.
The WBC heavyweight champion was seemingly training in preparation for a potential crossover MMA fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. For now, they're boxing each other in October. But should they eventually compete in MMA, Fury will be no stranger to takedown defense at least.
Vasiliy Lomachenko
Vasiliy Lomachenko is arguably the greatest amateur boxer of all time. He holds a 396-1 record with that one loss avenged twice. The two-time Olympic gold medal winner would translate that into a successful professional career where he is a three-division champion with wins over the likes of Gary Russell Jr., Guillermo Ringondeaux and Jorge Linares to name a few.
However, it may surprise some to know that he has also trained and won tournaments in wrestling, judo and sambo. Prior to his fight with Linares in 2018, he even showcased some of his skill while calling the latter out.
Fair to say, Lomachenko is quite the talented combat sports athlete.
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