It’s become fairly clear that Nate Diaz plans to leave the UFC after his fight in September. And if that’s the case, Oscar De La Hoya wants to promote a boxing match between him and Jake Paul.
De La Hoya, a boxing legend who also runs Golden Boy Promotions, tweeted this week about his interest in booking the bout.
Paul was set to take on Hasim Rahman Jr. this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but the match fell through after “The Problem Child” alleged the heavyweight didn’t fulfill his agreement to manage his weight.
Diaz is set to headline UFC 279 on September 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas opposite Khamzat Chimaev. Diaz only has one fight left on his UFC contract and he’s said in interviews and on social media that he wants to walk away from the promotion after his deal finishes.
Well, De La Hoya sees this as the perfect opportunity to pair the two together.
“Sorry for your cancellation due to unprofessional fighters not making weight,” De La Hoya tweeted. “Let’s talk @jakepaul Vs @NateDiaz209 when he’s free from the @ufc imagine the @GoldenBoyBoxing machine behind it? Will be huge!!!”
Paul versus Rahman Jr. was set to air on Showtime Boxing PPV and it’s unclear what the state of Paul and the organization’s contract is.
Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions Broke the News After the Fight Cancelation, Sharing a Statement
#PaulRahman has been cancelled. Refunds for all ticket and PPV purchases will be provided. Full statement below.
On July 30, Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions broke the news that the Madison Square Garden event was off. In a statement, the organization said that the boxers agreed to compete at 200 pounds. Rahman Jr. weighed 217 pounds on July 7 per the statement and hadn’t lost any weight by the time MVP called off the fight.
The New York State Athletic Commission wanted to move the bout to 205 pounds, something Paul agreed to, the statement reads. But, Rahman Jr. then told the promotion that he would weigh in at 215 pounds and wouldn’t drop the 10 extra to hit 205.
Because of that, The Problem Child and MVP pulled the plug on the boxing match.
Paul & MVP Didn’t Want to ‘Reward Someone’ Who Had Deceived Them, the Statement Reads
The statement continued with MVP ripping on Rahamn’s lack of apparent professionalism.
“MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner,” the statement reads (h/t CBS Sports). “Therefore, MVP is left with no choice but to cancel the Aug. 6 event,” Most Valuable Promotions said in a statement. “This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event.
“The boxing community must hold Hasim Rahman Jr. liable for his lack of professionalism. There has been endless work, time, and money put into building this event and we want to thank our team, Showtime, Madison Square Garden, Holden Boxing and all of our partners for their continued support.
“Above everything we want to thank our fans for their commitment to the athletes and the sport of boxing.”
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Promoter Really Wants to Book UFC Superstar Nate Diaz vs. Big Name