Anthony Smith has absolutely no love for Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz.
The former UFC title challenger says he ‘didn’t necessarily enjoy’ watching the UFC Nashville main event between Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font and he feels the same way (and a little bit more) about the boxing headliner that went on the same night in Dallas, Texas.
After ten rounds that included a knockdown from Paul and even a guillotine choke attempt from Diaz, the fighters would reach the distance. Paul ended up defeating Diaz by unanimous decision.
Smith Calls Paul-Diaz ‘A Sh*t Fight’
Some fighters like Sean O’Malley thought Paul vs. Diaz was ‘so f*cking sick’ while Smith thinks the exact opposite.
“I wasn’t super impressed with either one of ’em,” Smith said on the Believe You Me Podcast. “I don’t think either one of ’em did a very good job. If you got a guy that’s pointing at the crowd and not engaging in a fight and turning his back to you and you don’t knock that guy out, like he’s kind of punking you while you’re beating him. It’s not super impressive from either guy.
“I thought, well, Nate’s definitely gonna lose the first handful of rounds, and I think maybe he’s gonna come on later and gas him out and put the pressure on and make him tired, which is kind of seemingly what Nate tried to do. I think that they shit the bed, it wasn’t very exciting. There wasn’t any, there wasn’t any storylines that were going on. It was just kind of a sh*t fight.”
“How long can Jake Paul continue to do this, be in bad fights?” Smith asked.
Paul holds a record of 7-1 three years into his pro boxing career. He has defeated the likes of former MMA champions such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (2x), Anderson Silva and of course, Nate Diaz. ‘The Problem Child’ has only lost to Tommy Fury inside the ring.
Paul ‘Hasn’t Done Anything’ To Earn Smith’s Respect
Despite an astonishing amount of success early on in his boxing run, ‘Lionheart’ Smith still no holds no respect for the younger Paul brother.
“I don’t have any issues with Jake, like whatever, make your money. I just don’t respect him. I just don’t, like he hasn’t done anything to earn it,” Smith explained. “It really comes down to the size of the guys that he’s fighting. Nate Diaz spent the majority of his career at 155 pounds. He’s a jiu-jitsu black belt. He’s always been a grappler. It’s where he made his money. Obviously he’s had some, some great striking performances here and there, but he’s primarily a grappler.
“Ben Askren, primarily a wrestler. Tyron Woodley, a wrestler. Anderson Silva, well past his Prime. He just hasn’t done anything that I respect yet… other than financially.”
