This Saturday on DAZN at the MGM Grand Arena, in Las Vegas, a huge lightweight showdown will take place. Joseph Diaz and Devin Haney will mix it up and the fight is expected to be a good one. Many boxing experts feel Haney will win the fight and continue his rise in the lightweight division. However, I would not count out Diaz in this fight. Diaz’s experience and his willingness to face anybody should be respected.
2012 Olympian Joseph “Jo-Jo” Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KO’s) has been fighting as a professional for almost nine years and has done well. Diaz was a decorated amateur champion and once he turned pro, he quickly moved up the professional ranks. He worked his way to his first title shot back in 2018 against one of the best fighters in the featherweight division.
That was against WBC World Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr. Diaz fought a great fight, but he came up short at the end. He lost the fight by a unanimous decision.
Last year, Diaz did not give up and tried his chances at a title in the super featherweight division. This time it would pay off. Diaz scored an upset and captured the IBF World Super Featherweight title by defeating Tevin Farmer by a unanimous decision. It would be Diaz’s best performance of his career. In the fight, Diaz also showed he can fight through adversity as he suffered a nasty cut in the second round on his left eye and fought hard all the way through.
To start 2021, Diaz lost his title on the scale for his first defense of the IBF belt. However, he took on another tough challenger and battled the undefeated Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. They fought to a draw. Diaz decided to move up the lightweight division.
When Ryan Garcia decided not to fight Javier Fortuna due to mental issues, Diaz decided to fill that void and fight Fortuna. It was a good move from Diaz and it showed a lot about his toughness.
Fortuna was not an easy opponent to fight but Diaz ended up defeating him this past July in a clear and decisive unanimous decision. After that, Diaz called out Ryan Garcia, and eventually, that fight was made. However, Garcia pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
Another fighter Diaz called out was Devin Haney and luckily for fight fans, Haney accepted that challenge and we have a fight this Saturday. In this weekend’s fight, Diaz is a live underdog.
Haney is the favorite in the fight but Diaz will provide a tough challenge. Don’t be surprised if Diaz pulls off the minor upset. Diaz has a lot of confidence going into the fight. Also, the experience of Diaz should provide problems for Haney. With the recent George Kambosos win over Teofimo Lopez, anything can happen.
In less than a year, Diaz has fought Rakhimov and Fortuna. He was also ready to fight Ryan Garcia and now he will fight Devin Haney. Once again Diaz, shows he is fearless and is willing to take all challengers. This is something fight fans appreciate it and more top fighters should have the attitude of Diaz.