Eddie Hearn didn’t think much of the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight.
Earlier this month, Paul and Diaz finally faced off in a highly anticipated boxing match, with Paul winning a unanimous decision after 10 rounds of spirited action. Heading into the bout, many felt Diaz was little more than cannon fodder for Paul, including Hearn.
Even after Diaz lasted the full 10 rounds and showed some flashes of promise, Hearn isn’t changing his mind about Diaz as a boxer, though he admits he may have overestimated Paul.
“It was awful,” Hearn told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “Don’t get me wrong, the event was unbelievable. You did a great job. Brilliant. But when you’re talking about — you know MMA like the back of your hand. I know boxing like the back of my hand, and I’m watching that like [face in his hands], ‘This is so bad.’ The reason that Nate didn’t get stopped is that Jake didn’t have the ability. He doesn’t know how to break a fighter down, cut off the ring, beat him up, and stop him. But I give my props to Nate: super tough. Super tough. But you’re talking about low, low level in terms of standard.”
Hearn is the chairman of Matchroom Sport and currently represents some of the biggest names in boxing, so he’s knows a thing or two about the sweet science. Hearn’s honest assessment of what he saw in Paul-Diaz is that neither man is much of a boxer.
“We have something in the U.K. called an area title, which is in a specific radius — it’s kind of like a state title,” Hearn said. “These guys wouldn’t win a state title – that’s the level they’re fighting at.
“But listen, props to Nate. He definitely didn’t have ability, but what he did have was grit. But Jake just doesn’t have the ability or the experience to break someone down and stop them. And I was convinced he would.”
It wasn’t all bad for Hearn, though. While the Matchroom CEO isn’t a huge fan of the in-ring product when Jake Paul fights, he still respects the total package when it comes to the events Paul promotes. Hearn and Paul previously worked together to co-promoted the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight in April 2022, and Hearn still has a healthy amount of respect for what Paul is trying to do, even if he doesn’t think much of his skills.
“It’s so difficult to say [whether Jake Paul is regressing] because of the level of opposition,” Hearn said. “I thought he did OK against Tommy Fury, but then when he’s fighting Nate — I know Nate is super tough and you love him, but he’s very limited as a boxer. I can’t even tell you. I don’t know.
“I still respect Jake. He’s putting the time in, he’s sparring, he’s doing rounds. The event was unbelievable, the numbers were great, and although it was a boxer against an MMA guy, it did still feel like a fight. It didn’t feel like a YouTube event. It had real boxers on the undercard, Amanda Serrano. I like the events. I think he’s doing a great job in that respect.”
