Influencer boxing returns to the spotlight Saturday when former UFC contender Nate Diaz makes his professional boxing debut against Jake Paul. Their 10-round main event highlights the main Paul vs. Diaz fight card from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Paul, the former YouTube star who has since shifted his career path to full-time boxing, is coming off the first loss of his career. He dropped a split decision to Tommy Fury in February. His return to the ring comes against Diaz, a long-sought opponent who has never fought a pro boxing match but used a boxing base as the core of an attack that served him well through a successful 18-year career in mixed martial arts.
Paul is a -440 favorite (risk $440 to return $100), while Diaz is priced at +340 in the latest Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz odds. The over/under for total rounds finished is 7.5. Before making any Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz picks, make sure you see the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Peter Kahn.
Kahn is a true boxing insider who has his finger on the pulse of what's going on inside and outside of the ring. He has managed numerous world champions and currently manages 20 fighters through his company, Fight Game Advisors. Kahn recently won the 2022 Boxing Writers Association of America Cus D'Amato Manager of the Year award and was named to the 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Kahn is uncanny when it comes to picking fights. He is an astounding 41-13 on his last 54 SportsLine boxing picks, returning nearly $4,000 to $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him has already seen massive returns.
Now, with Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz in sight, Kahn has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident picks for the fight. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz preview
Following his loss to Fury, Paul (6-1) decided to shake up his training and coaching staff in an effort to make significant strides in his game. Nobody was fired from the previous staff, but the boxer shifted some duties and made one high-profile addition.
The new hire is Shane Mosley, the former world lightweight and welterweight whose professional boxing resume includes two wins over Oscar De La Hoya. According to numerous reports, Paul had asked for Mosley's guidance in the past, but the former champion didn't have enough free time to accept the role. But in early May, Paul announced that Mosley had taken the position. Trainer Theo Chambers is listed as Paul's head coach, with Mosley ranking second in command.
"I think when he got in the ring with Tommy Fury, his mental game wasn't there, his health wasn't 100% and there were a lot of things that were wrong," Mosley told the media. "And there's a couple little, minor technical things he should work on and could work on. But I think the main problem was mental, how he approached the fight."
As far as former MMA fighters are concerned, Diaz (21-13) brings more credibility than most. He and his older brother, Nick Diaz, are widely seen as iconic UFC figures who trained in a variety of disciplines. The Diaz brothers were known to regularly train with high-level boxers, such as former super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who once predicted either of the Diaz brothers could have been a top-10 boxer had they chosen that sport.
Diaz finished his UFC contract with a submission of Tony Ferguson in September of last year. Although he was long believed to covet the boxing match against Paul and accompanying payday, he said little about it publicly until the fight was announced a couple months ago.
Although he's never competed as a professional boxer, Diaz was known for his volume striking, endless cardio and durability while competing against world-class opponents in mixed martial arts. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz picks
Kahn likes the Under 7.5 rounds. He's also locked in two other best bets, including a strong money-line pick and a method-of-victory prop. You can only see those selections at SportsLine.
Who wins Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul, and which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn's best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who has netted his followers a profit of nearly $4,000, and find out.