It’s an exhibition. Yet its noise now echoes across the boxing world. Reports suggest the WBA may review whether Gervonta Davis’s choice to face Jake Paul, a fight that could net him around $40 million, rather than rematch Lamont Roach Jr., meets their championship standards. Scheduled for November 14 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, the bout has already drawn heavy criticism. Even people outside the sport haven’t shied away from voicing their opinions.

MMA legend Nate Diaz is no stranger to combat sports, and not entirely to boxing either. After his illustrious UFC career, he made his boxing debut on August 5, 2023, against none other than Jake Paul. Eleven months later, he returned to the ring to face rival Jorge Masvidal. Strictly speaking, Diaz may still be an outsider to the inner workings of boxing. But the Gervonta Davis-Jake Paul matchup seems to have rattled even a veteran like him.

Nate Diaz reacts to Gervonta Davis vs. Jake Paul: Here we go again…

‘Clockednloaded‘ shared footage of an interview with the Stockton native. A reporter asked, “Jake Paul versus Gervonta Davis. Does Davis have a chance?” And the Stockton native was in no mood to mince words. “Uh, Gervonta is a f**king great boxer, but he ain’t going to do sh*t with f**king Jake Paul,” he replied. The reporter wasn’t willing to give up either. They pressed, “So, you got Jake Paul by knockout or?”

This time, Diaz made it clear he wasn’t picking sides. “No, I don’t got anybody.” Addressing the physical mismatch, the 40-year-old MMA icon added, “It just—it just—I don’t want to be—I don’t want to beat up somebody that small.”

To Diaz, the fight didn’t make much sense. Still, he offered a diplomatic take: “It’s a great fight actually. I’m not hating on a fight, but I think—I think, uh, my thoughts on it are, let’s watch and see what happens.” Nate Diaz managed to handle the questions with a mix of blunt honesty and careful restraint.

But there are still others who haven’t hesitated to speak their minds.

Olympic silver medalist and former world champion Amir Khan told BBC Sport, “Jake Paul, in my opinion, is going to hurt Gervonta Davis. Davis is a tiny little man compared to Paul. I think it’s a big mismatch.” Like many critics, Khan’s main concern centered on the sheer size and weight disparity.

At 6-foot-1 with a 76-inch reach and over 200 lbs, Jake Paul significantly outsizes the 5-foot-5 Baltimore native, who carries a 67.5-inch wingspan while weighing in around 135 lbs.

Say it without saying it

On the flip side, a few, mostly from Tank’s camp, believe people should take the fight for what it is: an exhibition. It’s entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. Predicting that the Tank-Paul bout could turn out better than last year’s Mike Tyson spectacle, the team even drew an analogy to Muhammad Ali’s mixed match with Antonio Inoki. “The crowds seem to get a kick out of it, you know, and that’s it. And that’s all,” Davis’ trainer Barry Hunter emphasized.

At the same time, they reminded fans that a rematch with Lamont Roach Jr. remains unfinished business. There’s a good chance it could follow after the Paul fight. “That’s unfinished business; that was a draw, you know. I mean, that wasn’t a winner. … So that’s a fight that, you know, definitely I think is still going to happen,” Coach Hunter said.

The Gervonta Davis-Jake Paul fight continues to stir a mix of criticism and excitement. A matchup between a lightweight champion who has never competed beyond 140 pounds and a YouTuber-turned-boxer who has fought as high as heavyweight and cruiserweight still manages to intrigue many.

Do you agree with Nate Diaz and Amir Khan’s views?