WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney will fight against mandatory challenger Joseph Diaz Jr. in Las Vegas in the Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr match on December 4.
The star-studded lightweight division has not given the top matches just yet. However, the weight class is definitely heating up now. The lightweight division was shaken up after George Kambosos Jr. defeated Teofimo Lopez to get the IBF, WBO, and WBA belts. Now, everyone will be focused on Las Vegas, where WBC champ Devin Haney goes against mandatory challenger Joseph Diaz Jr. in the Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr match. Haney will be seeking to make a statement this weekend as he wants to secure a game with Kambosos Jr, who will be ringside, and become an undisputed champion at 135 lbs at some point next year. Apart from the main event, there are several big names on the undercard, including the unanimous women's welterweight champ Jessica McCaskill who will defend more than three of her world championship belts against Victoria Bustos and Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic.
The match is a part of an excellent stretch for the lightweight division. Teofimo Lopez holds more than three lightweight titles. He fought against George Kambosos on November 27 on DAZN. A week after that, Eddie Hearn is going to promote another big light match with the Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr match. The night after that, on December 5, Gervonta Davis will fight against Isaac Cruz on Showtime PPC. Following that, Vasiliy Lomachenko will go against Richard Commey on December 11. The agreement for the Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr match caps months of insults traded between both men. Haney accused Diaz of not wanting to fight against him after the latter agreed to a game against Ryan Garcia on November 27. But that match did not happen when Garcia had a hand injury in training and had surgery this week. With Diaz and Haney both needing an end-of-year game, the fight was agreed upon because it made sense to both parties.
Haney Puts His Crown on the Line in Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr
Haney puts his championship belt on the line yet again and the second time in his backyard in Las Vegas. In his previous match, he defended his title against former three-weight world champion Jorge Linares a few months ago in Mandalay Bay. The boxer now gets back to the Vegas trip for what is going to be a great match as his rivalry with Diaz Jr. goes a notch higher. Haney is one of the top-ranked boxers globally and one of the fastest-rising stars in the sport. The Las Vegas-based boxer has millions of followers on Instagram. He has great charisma and has an opportunity to break into the mainstream. But he has not found the best opponents yet. The fighter often terms himself as the most-avoided boxer in the sport. This is now set to be over with a tough challenge in Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr lined up.
Haney said, "I'm happy that it's fight week. It's been a long time coming. I had a long, brutal training camp, but it was all worth it, and I'm happy that it's finally here. Preparations have been challenging as normal. I pushed myself in camp, and I'm glad that it's finally here and a huge opportunity as well. It's a lot at stake for me. So much is going on in the lightweight division, and I'm happy I get to showcase everything I'm made of on Saturday night. Styles make fights. It's different styles. He has a different manner than Jorge Linares, so me and my team worked hard in camp on an intelligent game plan, and I look to execute it. He can come in early and try to be a dog early like Teo tried (against Kambosos) — I will use it against him, it will work against him on Saturday night, and he will see the faster that he tries to come in, the harder he tries to go in, I will use it against him.”
“At the end of the day, if you look at interviews before the fight, I said that something looked off about him. He looked like he just really wasn't focused on the battle. He said my name before the fight even more than he said Kambosos' name. So, it showed in the contest, and at the end of the day, the result was the result. What can we do about it? It's boxing, and it showed you can't take anybody lightly, and when you do take somebody lightly, that's what happens. I said he was a fraud because, at the end of the day, he was trying to scare everybody or act like people were scared of him, and he was just this prominent, bad knockout artist. But Kambosos exposed him. He showed that he wasn't what everybody thought he was, and he knew that. That's why he wasn't in a rush to fight me."
Diaz comes off a solid performance to Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr.
Diaz is also coming from a strong performance. A few months ago, he had a points victory over Javier Fortuna that gave him a spot in the top ten rankings. It was the first fight of the Olympian at 135 lbs. The resident of Southern California won against Tevin Farmer the previous year to get a 130-pound championship belt. He lost to Gary Russell Jr. at 126 pounds nearly four years ago in his other title match. The boxer obtained the WBC Interim World Lightweight championship belt in his first match at 135 pounds. He defeated former World champ Javier Fortuna in one of his more than thirty-fight career performances. The boxer fulfilled his promise to excite the fans of the lightweight division with that victory and also chase the top names in the division. He will now get the opportunity to become a two-weight champion, having taken the BIF Super-Featherweight belt from Tevin Farmer in Miami last year.
Diaz said, "If he wants to try and box, I'm just going to hunt his a-- down. If he wants to come and bang, I'm just going to bang it out as well. Whatever he wants to bring to the table, I'm going to get it. I feel like I'm in my prime. I feel like I've already taken all the steps I needed to take to be at this point in my life and my career. I've already fought those top-tier contenders as far as taking fights with Jesús Rojas, Tevin Farmer, Gary Russell Jr., and Javier Fortuna. I know that Devin is a very skilled fighter, and it's going to be a tough fight, he's going to bring out the best in me, and I'm going to bring out the best in him. At the end of the day, I know what I'm about and that there's a lot at stake for me. I've been through everything already, all the trials and tribulations in my life and career, but now I've got my son and my family that brings me that extra motivation to go out there and risk it all in that ring."
Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr: Devin Haney Stats
Nationality: American
Date of Birth: November 17, 1998
Height: 5' 8"
Reach: 71"
Total Fights: 26
Record: 26 (15 KOs)
Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr: Joseph Diaz Jr. Stats
- Nationality: American
- Born: November 23, 1992
- Height: 5' 6"
- Reach: 64"
- Total Fights: 34
- Record: 32-1-1 (15 KOs)
Devin Haney vs. Joseph Diaz Jr Fight Card
Devin Haney vs. Joseph 'Jo Jo' Diaz Jr.; WBC world lightweight title
Filip Hrgovic vs. Scott Alexander; Heavyweight
Montana Love vs. Carlos Diaz; Super lightweight
Jessica McCaskill vs. Victoria Bustos; WBA, WBO, WBC, and IBF women's welterweight titles
Austin Williams vs. Quatavious Cash; Middleweight
Alexis Espino vs. Roldolfo Gomez Jr.; Super middleweight
Marc Castro vs. Ronaldo Solis; Super featherweight