Jake Paul is back to his winning ways after defeating former UFC star Nate Diaz by unanimous decision on Saturday night at a sold-out American Airlines Center in Dallas(DAZN PPV).
Paul(7-1, 5 KOs), who lost to Tommy Fury in his last outing, dropped Diaz in the fifth round with a left hook and got the better of the action throughout.
At the end of the fight, two judges had it 98-91, 98-91, and another judge had it 97-92.
Paul has a new team in place, including his new trainer Shane Mosley; Paul believes he could have gone 12 rounds in this fight.
“I’m a new fighter,” he said after the win. “The new team we brought in, the new strength and conditioning—- everything was new, and I worked harder this camp. It pushed me to my limits. There were moments in the gym where I thought, ‘Damn, I don’t even know if I can do this,’ but I just kept on believing in myself, and now my gas tank is crazy. I could have kept on going. I could have gone 12 rounds, and we are just stepping up and up, and after doing it in three years- I’m happy with myself.”
According to the 26-year-old Paul, his loss to Fury helped make him a better fighter.
“The loss was seriously the best thing. It set me on the path I was supposed to be on, and you can’t cut corners in this sport,” Paul said. “I was in the gym the day after the loss. I flew back from the Middle East and went to the gym every single day up until this fight.”
In his professional boxing debut, the 38-year-old Diaz(0-1) did not look that bad, but he sometimes gassed out. However, he did go 10 rounds in his debut in the boxing world, which is admirable.
While Paul continues to move the train along and still is a guy who drives the needle, it should be interesting to see who he fights next. Will he go after another MMA guy or try his hand at another “real boxer?”
Regardless of who he fights, to Paul’s credit, he has worked hard to become a boxer.
In other action:
In the co-main event, Amanda Serrano (45-2-1) electrified the crowd, earning a unanimous decision win (99-91, 100-90, 100-90) over former WBO featherweight title holder Heather Hardy (24-3, 4 KOs) after an exhilarating 10 round blood-soaked battle, retaining her title as undisputed champion.
Serrano and Hardy have had nothing but respect and kind words for each other, but once they entered the ring, both women went to war. Serrano gave a dominating performance with a barrage of punches in her classic style, while Hardy showed grit and heart, hanging on until the final bell. The two shared a sentimental moment in the ring following the fight as they expressed their appreciation for one another and their hope to continue growing the sport of women’s boxing.
Chris Avila (4-1) overtook Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (0-1-1) in a unanimous decision victory (59-55, 59-55, 60-54) as the two super middleweight combat sports veterans went head-to-head. Avila handed Stephens his first professional loss, putting forth a dominating performance in just his fifth professional bout as he controlled much of the action for six rounds.
Undefeated lightweight H2O Sylve (10-0, 9KOs) brought the American Airlines Center to its feet with multiple thunderous body shots, knocking out the more experienced veteran lightweight William “Baby Face” Dos Santos Silva (30-5, 18 KOs) in the fourth round. The rising star earned the title of ESPN Ringside’s 2022 prospect of the year and proved his strength and dominating power against Silva as he celebrated with his patented griddy in the ring.
Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green (13-0, 11 KOs) also earned a decisive victory by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89) over Olivia Curry (7-2, 2 KOs). The two super middleweight powerhouses put on an unforgettable matchup as fans went wild over the nonstop action. The win cements Green’s next fight against Savannah Marshall as mandatory challenger for the undisputed super middleweight title.
