Nate Diaz to Fight Jake Paul in 10 Rounds, Not 8, in Pro Boxing Debut This August

Nate Diaz will be going a longer distance…

The 38-year-old half-Mexican American mixed martial artist and boxer’s highly anticipated bout against Jake Paul on August 5 in Dallas will now be contested over 10 rounds, after initially being booked for eight.

Nate DiazThe two fighters agreed to the change last week after Diaz proposed it, and on Tuesday, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) approved 10 rounds for the bout, per Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.

The bout has already been changed to 10 rounds on BoxRec, the official record and schedule database for boxing.

Paul has never fought in a 10-round fight and will be the first social media crossover star in the sport to compete in that length of a bout.

Diaz, a longtime UFC star, will be making his boxing pro debut.

“If I’m going to get knocked out, it’s going to be right off the gate or the next three f—ing rounds,” Diaz told ESPN last month, referencing the debate over rounds. “But if not, then it’s like you’re in big trouble and I’m already willing to get knocked out. Are you willing to get tired and get your f—ing ass whipped and knocked the f— out?”

Paul (6-1), the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter, is coming off his first career boxing loss to Tommy Fury back in February. The 26-year-old owns wins over MMA fighters like former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (twice) and former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Diaz has been a sparring partner for the likes of Andre Ward and Regis Prograis, but this will be his first time stepping into the boxing ring in an official bout. He brings a massive following from his 15-year career, which included a rear-naked choke victory over Conor McGregor in 2016.

Alvarez Defeats Liam Smith to Claim WBO Light-Middleweight Title

Canelo Alvarez has a new title under his belt…

The 26-year-old Mexican professional boxer knocked out Liam Smith in the ninth round Saturday night after dropping him in the previous two rounds, winning the WBO light middleweight championship before a record crowd of 51,240 at AT&T Stadium.

Canelo Alvarez

The victory kept Alvarez (48-1-1) on pace for a showdown with undefeated, unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin that is expected be held by September 2017, according to Alvarez promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

“I fear no man,” Alvarez said in the AT&T ring through an interpreter. “I am the best fighter in this. About a month ago, we offered GGG three or four times as much to make the fight.”

Golovkin is a 34-year-old Kazakhstan native based in Santa Monica, California, who has said he wants the fight as soon as possible. Signals have been mixed from the Alvarez camp whether he was waiting to better negotiating terms and location as well as wanting to spend more time training at a higher weight.

Alvarez, ranked as the world’s best boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec, had won a middleweight title but vacated it for this shot at the junior middleweight championship, sparking criticism that he was avoiding the hard-punching Golovkin.

“We are ready for him and he doesn’t want to accept,” Alvarez said. “As I said, we are a team and I fear no one. I fight the best and I want to fight the best. I am the best at this sport and Viva La Mexico!”

Negotiations toward a fight this fall fell apart, and some were surprised Alvarez said Golovkin had been offered a fight.

The large crowd for the Mexican Independence weekend bout will keep the home of the Dallas Cowboys in the running for the prospective match with Golovkin. The attendance record had been set in a Manny Pacquiao fight.

Alvarez was loudly cheered throughout the fight as well as every time he was shown on the screen during undercard bouts. Before the knockout in the ninth, his blistering pace of right uppercuts continued to take a toll and he opened a cut above Smith’s right eye.

Smith (23-1-1) wasn’t the pushover some expected when Alvarez announced the fight instead of meeting Golovkin. An inch taller and a little stronger, Smith had never been knocked down. He was willing take some hits while trying to land his knockout right. Alvarez was much quicker and had a strong and swift left while trying to set up a barrage of left and right body blows.

“If I would have waited a little longer and gotten more experience I would have been able to fight a guy like that better,” Smith said. “I am very disappointed. Canelo was too good. I needed better timing, my timing was off.”