Logan Paul has accused Nate Diaz of ‘running’ as talks stall over a boxing match between the pair.
Paul, 27, rose to fame on YouTube alongside his youthful brother Jake, and each have competed in boxing lately. Most lately, Logan Paul fought boxing icon Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition bout in 2021.
Meanwhile, blended martial arts icon Diaz left the UFC in September after submitting Tony Ferguson, and the 37-year-old has expressed a need to field subsequent.
Discussing rumoured negotiations between himself and Diaz, Paul informed BT Sport of his fellow American: “I think he’s running. This guy, I think he’s ducking.
“We have the sweetest deal for him, and he knows the type of numbers I bring in. I’m not a quarter of a million [pay-per-view buys] type of fighter; you’re going to get 750,000 [to] 1 million buys, and I’m an 0-1 YouTuber. Seems like an easy fight on paper.”
Paul was referring to his skilled boxing report, which consists of a single battle, which he misplaced to fellow YouTuber KSI in 2019. Paul beforehand fought KSI to a attract an newbie bout, and later boxed Mayweather in an exhibition contest – with neither battle counted in the direction of his professional report.
“I don’t even care anymore,” Paul continued, discussing a possible battle with Diaz. “I thought I had something locked in, but apparently he said the fight was off. Like, why? So he could fight someone else? For what purpose? To get less buys, and maybe an easier fight? I don’t get it.
“As far as I know, it’s not dead, because we had to f***ing offer him more money. It’s like we’re baiting this guy into fighting me. It’s hard for me to get a fight, because either you’re not worth my time and energy or you’re not going to sell pay-per-views. I’ll do it, but I need a dance partner. And I don’t need a tune-up fight, give me the real dogs. Nate Diaz is a dog. I was looking forward to that fight, then I got a call the other day and they said they didn’t want to do it. It was almost done. I don’t know.
“Let’s recount the facts: You have an extremely healthy deal on the table with the person that – by far – will sell you the most pay-per-views of any dance partner that you decide to go with, and I’m an 0-1 YouTuber. Why would you back out of that?”
However, Paul additionally praised Diaz, who famously traded MMA wins with Conor McGregor in 2016.
“I think he’s great, I think it would be a great fight,” Paul stated. “People would want to see that fight. He’s tough as hell, obviously an MMA legend, can move the needle.
“I’m just hyper ambitious, a little delusional and can kind of box.”
Paul might be in motion on the primary night time of WWE’s two-day Wrestlemania occasion this weekend, taking up Seth Rollins on Saturday (Paul’s twenty eighth birthday).
Paul made his debut with the skilled wrestling firm ultimately 12 months’s version of Wrestlemania, and he has featured intermittently for the WWE within the 12 months since.
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