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Jake Paul believes none of his previous opponents took as much damage as Nate Diaz did.
Paul returned to the win column after a unanimous decision victory over Diaz in their boxing headliner last night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The former Disney star got off to a hot start as he seemingly hurt Diaz in the first round and unloaded a barrage of punches. However, Diaz managed to weather the storm and grow into the fight.
That didn't last for long, though, as Paul — who still had the better of the former UFC star for the majority of the fight — eventually dropped him with a left hook in the fifth round.
While most would have gone for the kill following a knockdown, doing so against Diaz is a different case altogether given his all-round durability and ability to recover.
Diaz did just that as the fight eventually went the distance with Paul earning the decision after outlanding him 174-143 in total punches with 140 of those being power punches.
Paul already knew Diaz was tough and gave him credit for it, but also stated that being tough in boxing doesn't necessarily work out.
“He's tough. He's real tough,” Paul said in his post-fight interview (via ESPN). “That's what he's known for. But tough in this sport doesn't work.
“I knocked him down, won basically every round, but he's a warrior. I had him hurt in the first round, he kept on coming. No one's taken that much damage.”
Paul also reserved some praise for himself as well as his team as he was competing in his first-ever 10-round boxing match and looked solid cardio-wise for the duration of the contest.
“All credit to my team and conditioning,” Paul added. “Going 10 rounds in my eighth fight, it's unheard of. Only been boxing for three years and beat a UFC legend.”
Paul — who had only been competing in eight-round boxing matches prior — could now be set for a different form of combat as he and Diaz seemingly agreed to a rematch under MMA rules. The YouTuber-turned-boxer revealed the offer was worth $10 million and would take place under the PFL banner.
Although a fight in MMA would just be 25 minutes compared to their 30 in boxing last night, Paul would be expending a lot more energy given that he'll have to worry about kicking, elbows, wrestling and grappling.
Suffice to say, his conditioning will have to be a lot better if it actually comes to fruition.
