2023-08-07 15:30:00
Marc Raimondi and Michael Rothstein, ESPN Aug 7, 2023, 11:30 ETRead: 8 min.
The rivalry between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz is not over. That became clear following Paul’s unanimous decision win over Diaz. It just doesn’t seem likely that he will continue inside the boxing ring.
Paul, for months, has been calling for an MMA fight with Diaz following this one. He and his partner, the PFL, have offered Diaz $10 million for that fight. Diaz did not commit to fighting Paul in the cage, mainly because he views Paul as an amateur when it comes to real fights, and that’s not the type of opponent he wants following two decades in MMA.
But Diaz’s tone changed following his boxing loss to Paul on Saturday night in Dallas. Diaz told ESPN that he wants a rematch with Paul, and if it can’t happen in boxing, then he’s okay with it happening in MMA.
Part of the story of this fight is Diaz’s belief that Paul would not be a factor in a “real fight.” He said as much at the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. Diaz then put Paul in a guillotine choke in the tenth round of their boxing match and played for the crowd, demonstrating what would happen if the two fought in MMA.
There would be obstacles in the way for it to happen. Paul’s Real Fight Inc. would have to be a co-promoter of the event. Diaz doesn’t seem interested in signing with the PFL, as he left the UFC last year and still has plans to return there. Real Fight Inc. president Zach Rosenfield said at a post-fight press conference Saturday that the deal would not be for $10 million, implying that Diaz would demand more for that fight.
The boxing match Paul vs. Díaz was a success, of that there is no doubt. There was a lack of enthusiasm for a while, but that changed this week, courtesy of Diaz walking out of an interview, some hijinks at the pre-fight press conference and the physical confrontation at the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. The American Airlines Center was packed and the crowd was energized, mostly because of Diaz.
A story has developed between the two men. Diaz feels like he is the old-school martial artist fighting once morest influencer culture. He believes that Paul and other influential people are teaching children the wrong things. It’s a generational and philosophical gap between the two men. Diaz is 38 years old, grew up in poverty and has been fighting his entire life. Paul is 26 years old and has been famous on social media for almost half of his life up to this point.
Is there a market for an MMA fight? Probably. There are still plenty of fans, especially MMA fans, who want to see Paul get his comeuppance. While many of Paul’s detractors have questioned why he isn’t fighting “real fighters,” MMA fans are wondering why he continues to invite MMA fighters into the boxing ring instead of meeting them where they are in his hometown. best moment. Paul has now beaten Diaz, UFC legend Anderson Silva, former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley and former Bellator and ONE Championship Welterweight Champion Ben Askren in boxing.
Even in Paul’s lone boxing loss to Tommy Fury, he wasn’t beaten or knocked out. In fact, Paul had the only knockdown in that decision loss. There are plenty of MMA fans, or just haters of Paul, of which there are plenty, eager to see him get his ass kicked, knocked out, or submitted. As for Paul’s fans, they are more than happy to join him on this upcoming journey into a new sport, where he can showcase his athleticism and experience as a youth wrestler.
So to all those who didn’t like the first Paul vs. Diaz and they mightn’t wait for it to finish, well we have some bad news. This is not going away. — Raimondi
Serrano establishes his future with an impressive victory
If Saturday night was regarding giving back to Amanda Serrano, everything going forward needs to be regarding one thing: ending the rest of her career.
Serrano did exactly what was expected once morest her old friend, Heather Hardy. Serrano landed punches essentially whenever she wanted once morest a fighter she knows perhaps better than anyone in the sport outside of her own sister, Cindy.
They went the distance. They worked and fulfilled. The future? That is the question.
Alycia Baumgardner sat in the front row commentating on the fight for television. If Serrano is looking for a big fight, there may not be a better choice for her right now than the undisputed super featherweight champion. A rematch once morest Katie Taylor would also be attractive, although Taylor is committed to fighting Chantelle Cameron in November.
Who knows what will happen following that, especially if Taylor lost to Cameron for the second time?
Both Baumgardner and Taylor offer Serrano a shot at history and records, which is all he has left in the sport right now except to make more money. If he moved up to 130 or 135 pounds and beat Baumgardner or Taylor, he’d be undisputed in a second division, matching what Claressa Shields and Terence Crawford have accomplished.
If she were to fight and beat both, she would be the first fighter to be undisputed in three weight classes in the four-belt era, something both Crawford and Shields might try to achieve as well.
Serrano spoke in the ring regarding wanting to establish women’s boxing for the next generation, and also for herself following boxing, where she expressed her interest in managing female fighters. Any one of those fights would be huge for the sport.
Of course, if Serrano no longer looks for fights like that and continues to defend his undisputed featherweight title, there will be options because there are always options for someone like Serrano, especially with his promoter, Jake Paul, helping push the fights forward.
The decisions now must be between Serrano, his promoters and his manager, trainer and brother-in-law, Jordan Maldonado.
Serrano continues to be an exciting fighter. She remains one of the biggest draws in the sport and has been chasing history her entire career. How much more she wants to pursue, she said last year that she wanted to stay at featherweight and recently signed a contract with the PFL, she should dictate the rest of her boxing career. –Rothstein
Hardy gave one last show
Heather Hardy (right) survived all 10 rounds once morest Amanda Serrano in a unanimous decision loss.Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Heather Hardy told me last month that she would cry this week. Not because it was the end, Hardy hasn’t said that, but because she Hardy is an emotional person. This week, this fight, gave him a lot. A big payday in his career. Potentially one last shot at a title.
After the fight, Hardy said that he gave “everything” to this fight, this camp. That became clear throughout the 10 rounds, which were the epitome of a Heather Hardy fight: She throws a ton. She takes a ton of punches. Don’t give up. She never backs down. She goes to the cards.
If this was it for Hardy, and it’s still unclear at this point for the 41-year-old, it was a strong way out: once morest Serrano, the fighter she’s been linked with for much of her career, a pugilist to the one who helped and who had also helped her along the way.
Hardy was women’s boxing in an era before women’s boxing headlined the cards at Madison Square Garden and took a real foothold in the sport. Hardy sold tickets to almost every fight herself, trying to get paid and doing everything she might to cobble together a successful boxing career.
Which he did and then some. The fighter named “Heat” has always lived up to her nickname, and Saturday was proof of that. Bloody, bruised… it doesn’t matter. The referee asks her if she wants to continue… psh, do you know who you’re talking to here?
Without Hardy convincing Lou DiBella to take his first real shot at a fighter signing and promoting her throughout her career, who knows how things would go for Serrano? Or for other fighters until the Claressa Shields/Katie Taylor professional boom began to arrive.
So if this is it for Hardy, at least on a massive stage, she should be proud of how she ended it. –Rothstein
Is Shadasia Green ready for the elite at 168 pounds?
Shadasia Green, right, defeated Olivia Curry by unanimous decision in a hard-fought battle.Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Shadasia Green went the distance for the second time in her career, didn’t score a knockdown, and at points during her unanimous decision win over Olivia Curry, she didn’t look like the ferocious puncher we’ve seen in the past year.
However, Green found his rhythm in the middle rounds – landing a mind-blowing 35 power shots in the sixth round alone and 53.9% of his power shots overall – and took over the fight. Much respect to Olivia Curry, because she showed that she has a real chin, she can deliver an interesting and impactful fight and she should be in more intriguing matchups down the road at middleweight or super middleweight, two divisions with no depth.
The next three obvious opponents for Green would be breakthroughs: former undisputed super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn, undisputed super middleweight champion Savannah Marshall and ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Claressa Shields.
Green is a good fighter. She has a power that can knock out almost any woman in boxing. A fight between Green and Crews-Dezurn would be very intriguing. But a matchup once morest Marshall or Shields would be a real money fight. Green is the mandatory challenger for Marshall’s belts, and any matchup once morest Shields would be an exciting one (although a Shields-Marshall fight is also always a possibility, creating a potential dilemma for Green).
Especially once morest Shields or Marshall, Green would need to show more. Shields is the most technical fighter in women’s boxing and the best female fighter there is. Marshall has shown that she has legitimate power and more experience in big fights, and her skill set would also be a step up for Green.
It’s an exciting time for Green. Against Curry, we learned that he might go all the way in a 10-round fight. Now there would be the question of whether he can adequately handle the style and talent level of the opponents he might face.
It is a question for which, at least for now, the answer remains unknown. –Rothstein
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