Nate Diaz avenged his 2019 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) loss to Jorge Masvidal by netting a [controversial] close-knit majority decision win over Jorge Masvidal during their boxing match held on Saturday, July 6th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The co-main event of the card featured a super middleweight bout between Americans Daniel Jacobs and Shane Mosley Jr, with the latter coming out on top to cause a minor upset. The event was additionally co-promoted by Masvidal’s Gambred Promotions.
The rivalry between Nate Diaz (1-1, 0 KO’s) and Jorge Masvidal (1-1, 0 KO’s) stems from when they were both signed to the UFC and battled each other in 2019, which ended with Masvidal winning by technical knockout (TKO) after the match was stopped early due to a deep cut that Diaz suffered.
The two Americans, both known for being controversial and outspoken fighters, never managed to stage a rematch in the UFC over the next couple of years, but an opportunity to stage a rematch finally arrived this past weekend when both fighters departed the UFC last year.
Instead of a cage, however, Diaz and Masvidal decided to compete in a boxing ring as both fighters had at least one professional boxing bout prior to their July 6th match. Though not considered anywhere close to elite competitors, the two nonetheless agreed to a 10-round professional boxing bout set at light-heavyweight (175 lbs) where they could draw a fitting close to their rivalry and first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) match.
Nate Diaz entered the ring with a 0-1 record, which he accumulated after losing to Jake Paul last year, while Masvidal looked better on paper with his single victory stemming from a professional bout in 2005.
For much of the match, the two appeared to be evenly matched as they both regularly landed significant punches each round while keeping up an admirable pace for two non-elite competitors.
There is a case for both fighters to make for a victory, having both been quite active and effective―even as fatigue affected them in the latter stages of their bout, but it was ultimately Nate Diaz who was declared the winner by majority decision (MD) through the judges’ scorecards of 97-93, 95-95, and 98-92.
CompuBox stats indicate Jorge Masvidal had been the clear winner, and coupled with the rather wide scorecards in favor of Nate Diaz, Diaz’ victory does not appear to be fully warranted.
Multiple observations of the fight also point to a likely Masvidal win, with his punches clearly having “more pop” as its usually described for boxers with adequate power, and as the CompuBox stats indicate Masvidal did exceed Diaz in all the relevant stats.
Overall, it was an exciting bout between two rivals, but the end of the bout has put the win/loss ratio of both fighters at 1-1. A third match between the two is likely needed at this point due to the controversy, and a boxing ring would be the best place for this trilogy bout to occur.
Daniel Jacobs vs. Shane Mosley Jr
The undercard was filled with mostly professional fighters, but none of the fights seemed more significant than the co-main event between American super middleweights (168 lbs) Daniel Jacobs (37-5, 30 KO’s) and Shane Mosley Jr (22-4, 12 KO’s).
Jacobs, who last featured in 2022 and suffered a split-decision (SD) loss to the now-retired John Ryder, has built a commendable reputation, being known as a two-time world champion within the sport, but the less recognizable Mosley Jr took full advantage of Jacobs’ time away from the sport to oversee a unanimous decision (UD) win.
Whether it was actually ring rust or merely the advent of “father time” that affected Daniel Jacobs is up for debate, but 33-year-old Shane Mosley Jr did not spare the 37-year-old Jacobs any mercy during their match. While the approach of both fighters was the same, Jacobs appeared to lack the necessary timing needed to both defend properly and ensure his attacks were effective, resulting in Mosley convincingly winning the majority of rounds through scorecards of 99-91 twice, and one dominant scorecard of 100-90.
At the end of the 10-round scheduled bout, Shane Mosley Jr was announced the winner and mildly oversaw an upset given the standing of Jacobs within the sport. However, it is difficult to attribute Mosley’s success solely to his own abilities―not to discredit Mosley’s own ability but Jacobs has shown a sharp decline from who he had been even after his perceived peak.
The cut that Jacobs suffered during the match might also have largely affected him, though it is unknown to which extent it actually has. Likely a combination of both the cut and his inactivity has led Jacobs to put up a underwhelming performance compared to what he has displayed during his professional career.
However, Mosley’s own performance during the fight cannot be ignored. As the son of the much more famous and accomplished “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Mosley Jr could himself have reached a turning point after his dominant victory over the former world champion, but will need to determine in which division he will fight.
Having spent most of his career at middleweight (160 lbs), Mosley will find more opportunities in that division, which at the moment recognizes three different world champions. At 168 lbs, however, Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO’s) continues to remain the sole belt holder of all the four main world titles, and Mosley will have to do a lot more than beating an inactive and aged Daniel Jacobs in order to attract Alvarez’s attention.
