Eddie Hearn wants WBC to order ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr. to fight Devin Haney

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is at the end of his rope after watching Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr turn up his nose at the idea of challenging WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney for his title after having earned the mandatory spot for that fight last month in defeating Javier Fortuna in a WBC 135-title eliminator.

Jo Jo Diaz  (32-1-1, 15 KOs) isn’t afraid of fighting Haney, particularly after watching him struggle to beat past his prime 35-year-year-old Jorge Linares on May 29th. But Diaz Jr. wants to get a bigger payday against Ryan Garcia next, so he’s disinterested in facing Haney for the time being.

That’s not to say Jo Jo Diaz isn’t interested because he certainly is, but he would prefer to take the bigger fight against King Ryan rather than battling Haney for his arguably devalued WBC 135lb belt.

The World Boxing Council lowered the value of their own lightweight title when they created the Franchise belt and gave it to Vasily Lomachenko, who promptly lost it to Teofimo Lopez.

As a result, Haney holds a lesser WBC title, which he was elevated through email rather than by winning it.

“We want the WBC to put their foot down and say, okay, order JoJo Diaz,” Hearn said to the DAZN Boxing Show.

The World Boxing Council could certainly order Joseph Diaz Jr to fight WBC belt holder Haney (26-0, 15 KOs), but they’ve got to suspect that Jo Jo would ignore them and focus on taking the better-paying fight with Ryan. It’s a business thing.

There’s more to gain for Jo Jo Diaz Jr fighting Ryan Garcia than there is against Haney. It’s not just the money. It’s the hype and the huge media crush that would result from a fight between Jo-Jo and Ryan, it would be perfect for Diaz’s career.

The attention Diaz Jr would receive on his career would be priceless. You couldn’t put a number on it, and it would massively help his career.

In contrast, if Diaz Jr chose to face Haney, it wouldn’t be as big a deal because he’s not a popular champion.

There would be less attention on the fight, and Diaz Jr wouldn’t get the same kind of credit after beating Haney than if he were to beat Ryan Garcia.

“I think JoJo is certainly not ducking Haney,” said Hearn. “But he’s looking at it and saying, ‘Ryan Garcia wants to fight me. I’m mandatory to Devin Haney. Let me see what the offers are, and let me decide what I think the easiest fight is.’”

No, it’s doubtful that Jo Jo Diaz Jr focuses on Ryan Garcia because he views him as an easier fight than Haney. That’s arguably wishful thinking on Hearn’s part.

It’s more of a case of the payoff being a lot better for Jo Jo fighting Ryan than it would be if he were to challenge Haney for his WBC title.

Haney is a good fighter, but he’s got a boring Mayweather-like fighting style, and he lacks the charisma that Ryan Garcia possesses. I mean, there’s not much Haney can do about his lack of charisma.

He’s never going to be someone with that strong physical presence/charm that the more interesting fighters like Ryan and Teofimo Lopez possess. Jo Jo Diaz Jr can’t bring the fans in all by himself, which is what the case would be if he fought Haney.

As such, Jo Jo Diaz Jr is going toward the more compelling fight against Ryan Garcia. Hearn needs to have Haney get someone that talks for him the way Freddie Roach used to do for Manny Pacquiao. That might work for Haney.

“So again, Devin Haney will be boxing end of October, early November,” said Hearn.

“And we’d like it to be Jojo Diaz. If it isn’t, he [Haney] wants a big fight, you know, and he’s ready for all comers,” said Hearn.

It’ll be interesting to see who Hearn digs up for Haney to fight in October or November. He’s already matched Haney against old-timers Yuriorkis Gamboa and Linares. It would be nice to see Haney fight someone in their 20s and not over the hill.