Jake Paul Weighed Boxing Retirement After Tommy Fury Loss: 'Do I Really Love This?'

Despite suffering the first loss of his boxing career to Tommy Fury the last time he was in the ring, Jake Paul is on the verge of the biggest fight of his career against former UFC superstar Nate Diaz in August.

However, Paul recently revealed just how much the loss to Fury affected him, telling Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix that he contemplated stepping away from boxing after his first defeat:

"I was like, 'What the f--k just happened?' It was definitely a question of like, 'Damn, do I really want to do this?' This is not fun right now. This is not fun at all. I don't like this feeling. It's way more fun to win. Definitely that thought arose like, 'What am I really doing here? What is my purpose in this sport? Do I really love this?' And so I definitely had to go back and look at those questions again."

The 26-year-old ultimately decided to forge ahead, but he made changes to his approach. He parted ways with head trainer BJ Flores and rehired Shane Mosley, who was in his corner for his boxing debut. He also enlisted veteran boxing coach Theo Chambers and former super middleweight contender J'Leon Love as part of his training team.

While Paul was interested in a rematch against Fury, he couldn't pass up the chance to share the ring with Diaz, who remains one of the biggest stars in combat sports after completing his contract with the UFC. Paul said he feels a sense of urgency for this fight to return to his winning ways.

"I'm filled with vengeance, ambition, hunger, and drive more than ever before," Paul said. "I have a lot to prove, two chips on each shoulder, and it's do-or-die for me. Truly, this fight is do-or-die."