Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently shed some light on a surprising crossover bout that has been discussed.
Back at UFC 279, longtime fan favorite Nate Diaz closed out his run in the promotion with a fourth-round submission victory over Tony Ferguson. The Stockton star has listed several interests of his moving forward, including boxing Jake Paul and grappling with Gordon Ryan.
Now, it appears Diaz has his eyes set on one of boxing’s biggest stars.
Canelo Àlvarez last fought in September 2022, where he defeated longtime rival Gennadiy Golovkin via unanimous decision. The trilogy bout win was essential for ‘Cinnamon’ as he was coming into it off the back of an upset loss to WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol. The defeat put an end for now to Àlvarez’s plan to conquer another weight class.
“It’s The Unknown” – Eddie Hearn On Interest In Nate Diaz Boxing
According to Hearn on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, recent talks with Diaz led to him revealing his interest in facing the only Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion in history.
“It was just a friendly conversation to say, ‘What are you thinking?’ And Nate Diaz’s mindset is, ‘I want to fight Canelo Àlvarez.’ And who knows?” Hearn said. “It’s very difficult to give Nate Diaz a shot in a Canelo Àlvarez fight. But again, Nate Diaz can box. I’m not saying he’s going to compete with Canelo Àlvarez.
“But he’s got a big fanbase and I think there’s a fascination behind seeing these guys do something different. It’s the unknown. What’s going to happen?”
Hearn compared it to another potential crossover fight in Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua. According to Hearn, the heavy-handed power of both fighters would make that an easier-to-promote option due to the unpredictability factor.
“At least with [Francis] Ngannou against AJ you’ve got two huge punchers where something could happen. I have no idea. What if Francis Ngannou came out and they traded up and he knocked Anthony Joshua out?”
Hearn was also quick to point out that both fights are only in preliminary talks and there are currently no official plans to book either former UFC fighter in the boxing ring.
Would you like to see Nate Diaz vs. Canelo Àlvarez?
All quotes from talkSPORT.
