Former IBF 130-lb champion Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr and former WBC interim WBC 135-lb champion Ryan Garcia are in discussions for a fight in the Fall at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Ryan (21-0, 18 KOs) is back in training, getting ready for his next fight after a brief timeout from the support. Fighting Joseph Diaz Jr. (32-1-1, 15 KOs) will be a huge match-up for the Southern California area.
Although some boxing fans might consider this a comeback fight for the 22-year-old Ryan, it’s not.
He’s only been out of the ring for six months, and he’s on course to fight twice in 2021. That’s a lot better than some of the world champions like Tyson Fury, Gennady Golovkin, and Gary Russell Jr.
The unbeaten Golden Boy fighter Ryan Garcia needs a solid test after his impressive seventh round knockout victory over 2012 Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell on January 2nd.
Jo Jo Diaz Jr, 28, looked great with his 12 round unanimous decision win over former WBA super featherweight champion Javier Fortuna on July 9th on DAZN.
Diaz Jr. used heavy pressure to wear Fortuna down to grind out a hard-fought decision. Against Ryan, Diaz Jr will be using the same type of nonstop pressure to wear him out and score a stoppage.
It might be tougher for Diaz Jr because Ryan has the great equalizer in his left hand, which could be a problem for him. If Ryan lands his left hook, the could end suddenly.
Ryan will have the height, reach, power, speed, and youth advantage over Diaz Jr. That might be more than enough for Ryan to win.
“I think I’ll stop Ryan in the later rounds,” Joseph Diaz Jr said to ESPN. “My pressure and body shots will be too much for him.
“He’ll be feeling my shots and trying to hold and hug, but I think my overwhelmingness will be one of the keys to victory,” said Diaz Jr.
Jo Jo Diaz Jr. didn’t look all that powerful in his fight with Fortuna, and he’s going to have to try and beat Ryan with volume punching.
Even when Diaz Jr was fighting at 130, he wasn’t a big puncher. He was a guy that won his fights with pressure and outworking his opponents.
When Diaz Jr did meet up with guys with superior hand speed than himself in fights against Gary Russell Jr and Shavkat Rakhimov, he struggled.
What Diaz Jr has going for him is that Ryan Garcia doesn’t have anywhere near the kind of experience he’d had both as a pro and an amateur. The two are a world apart in terms of experience, which is more than enough for Diaz Jr to win.
If you’re Golden Boy Promotions, you got to do something with Ryan to keep moving him along. He has a lot of pressure to challenge WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney and fight Vasily Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis.
Before Ryan is ready to take on those fighters, he needs to a step-up fight against a guy like Joseph Diaz Jr or Jorge Linares. It’s a perfect fight for Ryan because Diaz Jr isn’t a big puncher, he’s not that fast of hand, and he’s struggled against guys with speed.
Diaz Jr won’t want to attack Ryan the way that he’s done most of his opposition because it’s too risky for him to do. If Diaz Jr gets too brave against Ryan, he’s going to run into one of his big left hooks.
“He’s been fighting guys a lot smaller than him, and I feel like with me, he’ll have the height advantage, but as far as physical body strength, I might be even stronger,” said Diaz, who at 5-foot-6 is 4 inches shorter. “If not, we’ll both be the same. He’s going to feel my power in there.”