Jake Paul claims he’s ‘HAPPY’ he lost to Tommy Fury and that he ‘owes’ his rival for making him a better fighter prior to his clash with Nate Diaz…while insisting he’s a very tough fight’ expected from the ex-UFC star

Over the years, a strange aura of invincibility hung around Jake Paul. Odd considering we’re talking about a former Disney channel and YouTube star who has been beating up UFC fighters and barely breaking a sweat.

But that aura has gone – now that his first career defeat has been dealt to bitter rival Tommy Fury earlier this year. Paul’s critics have been watching his progress for some time, waiting for him to slip and argue that once he’s defeated, interest in his journey as a boxer will begin to dwindle.

Although Paul’s rivals now know he can be beaten, he came out with praise for his performance against Fury, taking the pro boxer to the final bell and even sending him to the canvas in the 12th round.

Ahead of his next fight against former MMA superstar Nate Diaz on Saturday night, Paul finds that not only does the odds keep increasing despite a crushing defeat, but that it has helped him improve his game as a fighter.

“I think the loss was a huge win because it reset a lot of things in my life,” Paul shared Mail sports. “It gave me that chip on my shoulder that I lost beating a bunch of guys and making a lot of money off of it. You get caught up in this game and you lose that tenacity in the gym. You must have a strong why to go to the gym. I started to lose that going into the Tommy fight. I wasn’t that hungry or motivated. It was such a blessing in disguise.”

I ask Paul if he would change anything from that night in Saudi Arabia on February 26 – after which he claimed a number of factors interfered with his rhythm and preparation – including navicular bones, injuries, illness and weak legs. But he insists on losing “necessarily” and is in fact thankful to Fury for beating him.

‘I would not do it. I’m glad I got lost,” he added. “I needed it for so many reasons. I have thanked Tommy in my meditations for hitting me. I owe it to him because this is best for me in the universal plan.

“I think losing put me on track to be more successful in the long run (as opposed to) beating him that night. I am very happy with where I am in life and the changes I have made. They made me a better person and fighter.

“I have learned so much about myself and what I can do. It’s almost a relief. There’s a lot of pressure on these fights when you’re undefeated. I know how it feels to lose now and it wasn’t bad. There were some difficult moments in the beginning, but they gave me more confidence in myself to continue.’

Fury has since signed up to take on another of Paul’s rivals in KSI later this year – with the American hoping to meet the winner. He especially longs for a rematch with Fury – revealing that there are “behind the scenes talks” to make it happen – as he strives to right the wrongs of the first fight.

“I know I will (beat him) and for me it’s not even about beating him, it’s about finishing him,” he adds. ‘Let there be no doubt about it. To show people that he caught me at the best possible time for him, but it was my worst possible night and timing in my life.

“When we meet again I’m going to stop him and that will show people that what happened that night was a fluke.

“I think I didn’t perform well. Tommy had a good fight, but I didn’t get on the board. I was not performing to my best ability. I lost the fight and I was not in my best shape as a fighter. It wasn’t like he was tougher than Anderson Silva, I just didn’t live up to my expectations that night.

“I’ve now brought in this new team across the board which has made me exponentially better and a different fighter and it’s made the sport super fun, more fun than ever before. It’s been a great journey since the loss.”

For now all the focus is on continuing his progress against Diaz – who has never fought in professional boxing before – and Paul will be the heavy favorite to secure victory, but some fans and doubters were quick to put this to dismiss the match as a sham. footage of his opponent on the pads and left unimpressed. What does Paul have to say to those people?

“I’d say I’m in a $16 million house and sold one of the biggest pay-per-views in the history of the sport,” he responds. “I am fighting one of the biggest UFC stars and legends, one of the biggest PPV draws in UFC history in Nate Diaz.

“This is my biggest gate ever, the highest average ticket price. The traction for this fight is huge. This is somehow just the beginning of everything I’m going to achieve in this sport.

“It’s funny to me that when I go up against these guys, like (Tyron) Woodley and Anderson Silva, I’m the favorite and it doesn’t really make sense to me. It shows that the problem with our culture is that no one believes and you have to make them believe. They believe so much that they try to discredit me and say crazy things about my fights like “it’s rigged”.

“It’s a compliment to me. They went from thinking I (NBA star) couldn’t even beat Nate Robinson to not even being able to believe what they were watching, so they came up with every excuse they could.”

Fans are also shocked by the news that Diaz would compete in two triathlons just weeks before the fight, sparking doubts about the condition he will arrive in, but nevertheless, Paul is expecting a real fight in the ring.

“It will be a very tough fight,” he emphasises. “The man has never been stopped before, he is a dog. He has superior hitting ability, he stopped Conor McGregor. (Critics) know nothing about the sport.

“They don’t know how good Nate Diaz is and why he’s come this far. Coming from a huge W in the UFC, he’s on a roll and has been boxing before I was even on the Disney Channel! He’s been doing this longer than I have and has tons of experience.’

These crossover fights have become an essential part of the sport and something we see constantly now. Even Tyson Fury – the brother of his rival Tommy – has taken a leaf out of the former YouTuber’s book by landing a lucrative match with a former UFC star in Francis Ngannou.

The two will clash in Saudi Arabia in October, finally giving the Cameroonian a huge paycheck he’s been chasing for years in the UFC – with Paul among the names campaigning for MMA stars to receive bigger fight grants.

Fury v Ngannou has divided the boxing fanbase, especially considering the WBC world champion avoided an undisputed fight with Oleskandr Usyk in the process, but Paul believes it’s a good thing for boxing.

“I love it for boxing,” he said. “It’s great for the fighters to show that Francis Ngannou can leave the UFC and get the big fights and payoffs he deserves and be in control of his own destiny. That’s why it’s so great. You can never count a heavyweight who has the strongest punch in the world. That’s Francis Ngannou.

“You’ve seen Deontay Wilder put Fury on the canvas, so you never know. That to me is why this is so nice to see them two of the baddest men in the world in Saudi Arabia. It’s going to be a spectacle and I hope more MMA fighters take a page out of Francis’s book and take the reins and earn the big rewards they deserve.”

And Paul? Will he continue to fight against UFC stars where the rewards are big – but the fan reaction isn’t necessarily so positive – or will he opt to fight more professional boxers now that he’s had a taste of Tommy Fury?

“That’s on the roadmap (fighting pro boxers), but then you start throwing these names in like KSI, rematching Tommy,” he continues. “I’m just going to fight when it makes sense with names that make sense to fight for me, keep getting in the gym and keep challenging myself. Increasing the level of opposition every time and I’m not going to stop anytime soon.’

You can watch Paul vs Diaz live on DAZN PPV right here.