Odds: Haney 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jessica McCaskill vs. Victoria Bustos, welterweights (for McCaskill’s undisputed championship); Filip Hrgovic vs. Scott Alexander, heavyweights; Montana Love vs. Carlos Diaz, junior welterweights
Prediction: Haney UD
Background: The WBC has designated Haney as its 135-pound titleholder but Boxing Junkie recognizes “franchise champion” George Kambosos as the sanctioning body’s true beltholder. Haney has been angling for a showdown with one of the big-name lightweights but has so far come up empty. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t faced quality opponents, though. He’s coming off the biggest victory of his career, a convincing decision over veteran Jorge Linares in May that enhanced his reputation as a budding star. And Diaz might be a step up from Linares. The 2012 U.S. Olympian recorded his break-through victory in January of last year, when he outpointed Tevin Farmer to win a major 130-pound title. He lost his title on the scale before his first defense and drew with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov this past February. However, he rebounded by outpointing Javier Fortuna in his first fight as a full-fledged lightweight in July, which gave his reputation a significant boost. The winner on Friday will be a strong position to challenge Kambosos for the undisputed championship.
Odds: Haney 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jessica McCaskill vs. Victoria Bustos, welterweights (for McCaskill’s undisputed championship); Filip Hrgovic vs. Scott Alexander, heavyweights; Montana Love vs. Carlos Diaz, junior welterweights
Prediction: Haney UD
Background: The WBC has designated Haney as its 135-pound titleholder but Boxing Junkie recognizes “franchise champion” George Kambosos as the sanctioning body’s true beltholder. Haney has been angling for a showdown with one of the big-name lightweights but has so far come up empty. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t faced quality opponents, though. He’s coming off the biggest victory of his career, a convincing decision over veteran Jorge Linares in May that enhanced his reputation as a budding star. And Diaz might be a step up from Linares. The 2012 U.S. Olympian recorded his break-through victory in January of last year, when he outpointed Tevin Farmer to win a major 130-pound title. He lost his title on the scale before his first defense and drew with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov this past February. However, he rebounded by outpointing Javier Fortuna in his first fight as a full-fledged lightweight in July, which gave his reputation a significant boost. The winner on Friday will be a strong position to challenge Kambosos for the undisputed championship.
Odds: Haney 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jessica McCaskill vs. Victoria Bustos, welterweights (for McCaskill’s undisputed championship); Filip Hrgovic vs. Scott Alexander, heavyweights; Montana Love vs. Carlos Diaz, junior welterweights
Prediction: Haney UD
Background: The WBC has designated Haney as its 135-pound titleholder but Boxing Junkie recognizes “franchise champion” George Kambosos as the sanctioning body’s true beltholder. Haney has been angling for a showdown with one of the big-name lightweights but has so far come up empty. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t faced quality opponents, though. He’s coming off the biggest victory of his career, a convincing decision over veteran Jorge Linares in May that enhanced his reputation as a budding star. And Diaz might be a step up from Linares. The 2012 U.S. Olympian recorded his break-through victory in January of last year, when he outpointed Tevin Farmer to win a major 130-pound title. He lost his title on the scale before his first defense and drew with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov this past February. However, he rebounded by outpointing Javier Fortuna in his first fight as a full-fledged lightweight in July, which gave his reputation a significant boost. The winner on Friday will be a strong position to challenge Kambosos for the undisputed championship.
Gervonta Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) vs. Isaac Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KOs)
When: Saturday, Nov. 5
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
Division: Lightweight
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Davis No. 14
Odds: Davis 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Sebastian Fundora vs. Sergio Garcia, junior middleweights; Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs. Carlos Adames, middleweights; Eduardo Ramirez vs. Miguel Marriaga, featherweights
Prediction: Davis KO 6
Background: Davis was supposed to have fought Rolando Romero but Romero was removed from the card almost a month ago after he was accused of sexual assault. Cruz, the Mexican slugger, agreed to replace Romero. Davis, a huge puncher and fast-rising star, has stopped his last 14 opponents in three different weight classes. That includes an 11th-round stoppage of Mario Barrios in what had been a competitive fight at 140 pounds this past June. The matchup with Cruz is Davis’s first lightweight bout since he knocked out Yuriorkis Gamboa in 12 rounds in December 2019 even though it seems to be his natural weight. Cruz, an aggressive fighter from Mexico, made a splash by taking out veteran Diego Magdeleno in the first round in October of last year. He was less dominating in subsequent fights against Jose Matias Romero and Francisco Vargas, which he won by unanimous decisions. The matchup should be entertaining as both men like to mix it up.
Also fighting this week: Cassius Chaney (21-0, 14 KOs) will take on George Arias (16-0, 7 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout Wednesday in New York (FITE). Middleweight contender Danny Dignum (13-0-1, 7 KOs) will face Lucas Bastida (17-1-1, 9 KOs) Thursday in London (ESPN+). Also Thursday, junior middleweight contender Kerman Lejarraga (33-2, 25 KOs) will fight Jack Flatley (17-1-1, 4 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder in Bilbao, Spain.
Odds: Haney 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jessica McCaskill vs. Victoria Bustos, welterweights (for McCaskill’s undisputed championship); Filip Hrgovic vs. Scott Alexander, heavyweights; Montana Love vs. Carlos Diaz, junior welterweights
Prediction: Haney UD
Background: The WBC has designated Haney as its 135-pound titleholder but Boxing Junkie recognizes “franchise champion” George Kambosos as the sanctioning body’s true beltholder. Haney has been angling for a showdown with one of the big-name lightweights but has so far come up empty. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t faced quality opponents, though. He’s coming off the biggest victory of his career, a convincing decision over veteran Jorge Linares in May that enhanced his reputation as a budding star. And Diaz might be a step up from Linares. The 2012 U.S. Olympian recorded his break-through victory in January of last year, when he outpointed Tevin Farmer to win a major 130-pound title. He lost his title on the scale before his first defense and drew with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov this past February. However, he rebounded by outpointing Javier Fortuna in his first fight as a full-fledged lightweight in July, which gave his reputation a significant boost. The winner on Friday will be a strong position to challenge Kambosos for the undisputed championship.
Gervonta Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) vs. Isaac Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KOs)
When: Saturday, Nov. 5
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
Division: Lightweight
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Davis No. 14
Odds: Davis 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Sebastian Fundora vs. Sergio Garcia, junior middleweights; Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs. Carlos Adames, middleweights; Eduardo Ramirez vs. Miguel Marriaga, featherweights
Prediction: Davis KO 6
Background: Davis was supposed to have fought Rolando Romero but Romero was removed from the card almost a month ago after he was accused of sexual assault. Cruz, the Mexican slugger, agreed to replace Romero. Davis, a huge puncher and fast-rising star, has stopped his last 14 opponents in three different weight classes. That includes an 11th-round stoppage of Mario Barrios in what had been a competitive fight at 140 pounds this past June. The matchup with Cruz is Davis’s first lightweight bout since he knocked out Yuriorkis Gamboa in 12 rounds in December 2019 even though it seems to be his natural weight. Cruz, an aggressive fighter from Mexico, made a splash by taking out veteran Diego Magdeleno in the first round in October of last year. He was less dominating in subsequent fights against Jose Matias Romero and Francisco Vargas, which he won by unanimous decisions. The matchup should be entertaining as both men like to mix it up.
Also fighting this week: Cassius Chaney (21-0, 14 KOs) will take on George Arias (16-0, 7 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout Wednesday in New York (FITE). Middleweight contender Danny Dignum (13-0-1, 7 KOs) will face Lucas Bastida (17-1-1, 9 KOs) Thursday in London (ESPN+). Also Thursday, junior middleweight contender Kerman Lejarraga (33-2, 25 KOs) will fight Jack Flatley (17-1-1, 4 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder in Bilbao, Spain.
Ryan Garcia injured his wrist in training for his fight with Joseph Diaz Jr. and will require surgery.
Ryan Garcia vs. Joseph Diaz Jr. is off, at least for now.
Garcia, the hard-punching lightweight, suffered a right wrist injury during training and will undergo surgery on Monday in Los Angeles, according to a release from his promoter.
The operation will be performed by Dr. Steven Shin at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center.
Garcia was expected to face Diaz on Nov. 27, although the fight hadn’t been officially announced. As things stand, Garcia won’t be able to fight until early next year.
Diaz reportedly is looking for another opponent.
Garcia had taken a break from boxing to focus on his mental health after stopping Luke Campbell in seven rounds in January.
“I want to thank my fans for all the continued support,” Garcia said. “We are postponing my next fight for a couple of months as a result of a significant hand injury that requires immediate surgery.
“… I promise early (2022) I will return better, faster, and stronger than ever. I love you guys!”
Ryan Garcia injured his wrist in training for his fight with Joseph Diaz Jr. and will require surgery.
Ryan Garcia vs. Joseph Diaz Jr. is off, at least for now.
Garcia, the hard-punching lightweight, suffered a right wrist injury during training and will undergo surgery on Monday in Los Angeles, according to a release from his promoter.
The operation will be performed by Dr. Steven Shin at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center.
Garcia was expected to face Diaz on Nov. 27, although the fight hadn’t been officially announced. As things stand, Garcia won’t be able to fight until early next year.
Diaz reportedly is looking for another opponent.
Garcia had taken a break from boxing to focus on his mental health after stopping Luke Campbell in seven rounds in January.
“I want to thank my fans for all the continued support,” Garcia said. “We are postponing my next fight for a couple of months as a result of a significant hand injury that requires immediate surgery.
“… I promise early (2022) I will return better, faster, and stronger than ever. I love you guys!”
Good, bad, worse: Gilberto Ramirez demonstrated on Friday that he’s back and the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder delay isn’t a catastrophe.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zU7AWAEhks
Gilberto Ramirez turned in the kind of performance against Sullivan Barrera on Friday he needed to jump start his career.
The Mexican had lost the momentum he built as a 168-pound titleholder after moving up to 175, in part because he left promoter Top Rank and tried unsuccessfully to make it on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fourth-round knockout of the veteran Barrera didn’t instantaneously lift him back to the top of the heap but it certainly was a significant step in the right direction under the banner of a new promoter, Golden Boy.
Barrera (22-4, 14 KOs) is 39 and was 1-2 in his previous three fights but he was a known quantity that would serve nicely as a stepping stone to bigger and better things, which is precisely how Ramirez used him.
Ramirez (42-0, 28 KOs) put Barrera down three times in three-plus rounds, the first two times by vicious left hooks to the body that hurt the Cuban badly. He went down once more in Round 4, at which point he couldn’t continue.
Ramirez’s new handlers couldn’t have scripted it better: sensational knockout in the featured fight on a slow boxing weekend, meaning he received considerable attention before and after.
With adrenaline still flowing, Ramirez said afterward that he would like to face the big boys at 175 – titleholders Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. He seems to be focused primarily on Bivol, which makes sense because they both fight on DAZN.
Plus, Beterbiev and Smith, Top Rank fighters aligned with ESPN, seem to be headed toward a title-unification showdown.
Is Ramirez ready for the kind for challenge Bivol will present? I would favor the champion. This much is certain, though: He’s in a better position after his victory over Barrera to get the fight he needs to prove me and other doubters wrong.
***
BAD
Tyson Fury (left) and Deontay Wilder will be face to face again soon enough. Mikey Williams / Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
The postponement of Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III is bad … but not the end of the world.
The fight, scheduled for July 24 in Las Vegas, was pushed back after Fury and members of his team tested positive for COVID-19. Frank Warren, Fury’s co-promoter, said organizers are targeting a date in October.
Those who are angry with Fury should take a deep breath. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that he didn’t want to contract the virus, which has afflicted many other fighters.
Fury reportedly received only one of the two Pfizer vaccinations, which irked Wilder’s camp. However, if I understand it correctly, fighters are required to be tested, not vaccinated. I don’t know why he’d take only one of two shots – sounds foolish to me – but he didn’t break any rules.
And, according to Warren, Fury is as frustrated as Wilder and the fans are.
“Really frustrating for Tyson,” he said. “By the time he gets into the ring, he will have been out for nearly 20 months. That’s a long, long time.”
A few more months isn’t a long, long time in relation to a pandemic that has persisted for about a year and a half. Fury and Wilder presumably will find a date and site that suits both of them and have their fight, with the winner hopefully facing the Sept. 25 Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk victor for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
One more thing: An October date aligns better with Sept. 25, meaning the winners of those fights will be on a more similar timetable. Fury vs. Joshua early next year?
***
WORSE
Jean Pascal tested positive for multiple banned substances before his rematch with Badou Jack. Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
News item: The WBA has stripped Jean Pascal of his “regular” 175-pound title and suspended him for six months after he tested positive for several banned drugs before his scheduled rematch with Badou Jack.
I get why boxers are tempted to cheat. A victory in a big fight can lead to even bigger money. Pascal is 38. He doesn’t have many more paydays in his future. Had he fought and beaten Jack, he would’ve been in position for one of the biggest paydays of his career.
Of course, I don’t know what was in Pascal’s head. I’m only saying their was in incentive.
That’s the upside. Here’s the downside. One, you can get busted, as Pascal did. He lost one payday and his future is murky. I wouldn’t want to do business with him going forward. And, two, it’s immoral.
I really don’t want to play the moralist but this isn’t baseball, in which a juiced batter might hit more home runs than he’d hit otherwise. This boxing, in which participants put their lives on the line every time they step through the ropes.
When a fighter intentionally tries to gain an advantage over his opponent, he or she is tampering with that opponent’s very well being. The sport is dangerous enough without such advantages.
Bottom line: Pascal deserves to pay a price for his actions. And we can only hope that others will learn from his mistakes.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Joseph Diaz Jr.’sunanimous-decision victory over Javier Fortuna (36-3-1, 25 KOs) on the Ramirez-Barrera card might have been as significant as the one over Tevin Farmer that earned him a 130-pound title. Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs) lost his belt on the scale in his previous fight, a draw with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. He then took a gamble by filling in for Ryan Garcia as the opponent for Fortuna, a dangerous boxer-puncher. A loss would’ve been a significant setback, a victory a giant step forward. In the end, he was up to the task. I thought the fight was closer than the judges did but Diaz landed the cleaner, harder shots, which evidently was reflected on the cards. He’s now a player in a deep 135-pound division, which is exactly what he wanted. … William Zepeda (23-0, 21 KOs) could be the next star out of Mexico. The indefatigable punching machine overwhelmed previously unbeaten Hector Tanajara Jr.(19-1, 5 KOs) on the Ramirez-Barrera card, forcing Tanajara’s corner to stop the lightweight fight after six rounds. I don’t think he has one-punch knockout power but his volume punching will make the life anyone difficult. It will take a superb boxer or big puncher to slow the 25-year-old down. … Speaking of boxing machines, Seniesa Estrada (21-0, 8 KOs) demonstrated again that she’s an excellent, efficient boxer by handily outpointing the naturally bigger Tenkai Tsunami(28-13-1, 16 KOS) to take the Japanese fighter’s WBO junior flyweight title. Estrada could be headed toward a rematch with Marlen Esparza, whom she defeated by a technical decision after Esparza suffered a gruesome cut.
Good, bad, worse: Gilberto Ramirez demonstrated on Friday that he’s back and the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder delay isn’t a catastrophe.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zU7AWAEhks
Gilberto Ramirez turned in the kind of performance against Sullivan Barrera on Friday he needed to jump start his career.
The Mexican had lost the momentum he built as a 168-pound titleholder after moving up to 175, in part because he left promoter Top Rank and tried unsuccessfully to make it on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fourth-round knockout of the veteran Barrera didn’t instantaneously lift him back to the top of the heap but it certainly was a significant step in the right direction under the banner of a new promoter, Golden Boy.
Barrera (22-4, 14 KOs) is 39 and was 1-2 in his previous three fights but he was a known quantity that would serve nicely as a stepping stone to bigger and better things, which is precisely how Ramirez used him.
Ramirez (42-0, 28 KOs) put Barrera down three times in three-plus rounds, the first two times by vicious left hooks to the body that hurt the Cuban badly. He went down once more in Round 4, at which point he couldn’t continue.
Ramirez’s new handlers couldn’t have scripted it better: sensational knockout in the featured fight on a slow boxing weekend, meaning he received considerable attention before and after.
With adrenaline still flowing, Ramirez said afterward that he would like to face the big boys at 175 – titleholders Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. He seems to be focused primarily on Bivol, which makes sense because they both fight on DAZN.
Plus, Beterbiev and Smith, Top Rank fighters aligned with ESPN, seem to be headed toward a title-unification showdown.
Is Ramirez ready for the kind for challenge Bivol will present? I would favor the champion. This much is certain, though: He’s in a better position after his victory over Barrera to get the fight he needs to prove me and other doubters wrong.
***
BAD
Tyson Fury (left) and Deontay Wilder will be face to face again soon enough. Mikey Williams / Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
The postponement of Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III is bad … but not the end of the world.
The fight, scheduled for July 24 in Las Vegas, was pushed back after Fury and members of his team tested positive for COVID-19. Frank Warren, Fury’s co-promoter, said organizers are targeting a date in October.
Those who are angry with Fury should take a deep breath. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that he didn’t want to contract the virus, which has afflicted many other fighters.
Fury reportedly received only one of the two Pfizer vaccinations, which irked Wilder’s camp. However, if I understand it correctly, fighters are required to be tested, not vaccinated. I don’t know why he’d take only one of two shots – sounds foolish to me – but he didn’t break any rules.
And, according to Warren, Fury is as frustrated as Wilder and the fans are.
“Really frustrating for Tyson,” he said. “By the time he gets into the ring, he will have been out for nearly 20 months. That’s a long, long time.”
A few more months isn’t a long, long time in relation to a pandemic that has persisted for about a year and a half. Fury and Wilder presumably will find a date and site that suits both of them and have their fight, with the winner hopefully facing the Sept. 25 Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk victor for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
One more thing: An October date aligns better with Sept. 25, meaning the winners of those fights will be on a more similar timetable. Fury vs. Joshua early next year?
***
WORSE
Jean Pascal tested positive for multiple banned substances before his rematch with Badou Jack. Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
News item: The WBA has stripped Jean Pascal of his “regular” 175-pound title and suspended him for six months after he tested positive for several banned drugs before his scheduled rematch with Badou Jack.
I get why boxers are tempted to cheat. A victory in a big fight can lead to even bigger money. Pascal is 38. He doesn’t have many more paydays in his future. Had he fought and beaten Jack, he would’ve been in position for one of the biggest paydays of his career.
Of course, I don’t know what was in Pascal’s head. I’m only saying their was in incentive.
That’s the upside. Here’s the downside. One, you can get busted, as Pascal did. He lost one payday and his future is murky. I wouldn’t want to do business with him going forward. And, two, it’s immoral.
I really don’t want to play the moralist but this isn’t baseball, in which a juiced batter might hit more home runs than he’d hit otherwise. This boxing, in which participants put their lives on the line every time they step through the ropes.
When a fighter intentionally tries to gain an advantage over his opponent, he or she is tampering with that opponent’s very well being. The sport is dangerous enough without such advantages.
Bottom line: Pascal deserves to pay a price for his actions. And we can only hope that others will learn from his mistakes.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Joseph Diaz Jr.’sunanimous-decision victory over Javier Fortuna (36-3-1, 25 KOs) on the Ramirez-Barrera card might have been as significant as the one over Tevin Farmer that earned him a 130-pound title. Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs) lost his belt on the scale in his previous fight, a draw with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. He then took a gamble by filling in for Ryan Garcia as the opponent for Fortuna, a dangerous boxer-puncher. A loss would’ve been a significant setback, a victory a giant step forward. In the end, he was up to the task. I thought the fight was closer than the judges did but Diaz landed the cleaner, harder shots, which evidently was reflected on the cards. He’s now a player in a deep 135-pound division, which is exactly what he wanted. … William Zepeda (23-0, 21 KOs) could be the next star out of Mexico. The indefatigable punching machine overwhelmed previously unbeaten Hector Tanajara Jr.(19-1, 5 KOs) on the Ramirez-Barrera card, forcing Tanajara’s corner to stop the lightweight fight after six rounds. I don’t think he has one-punch knockout power but his volume punching will make the life anyone difficult. It will take a superb boxer or big puncher to slow the 25-year-old down. … Speaking of boxing machines, Seniesa Estrada (21-0, 8 KOs) demonstrated again that she’s an excellent, efficient boxer by handily outpointing the naturally bigger Tenkai Tsunami(28-13-1, 16 KOS) to take the Japanese fighter’s WBO junior flyweight title. Estrada could be headed toward a rematch with Marlen Esparza, whom she defeated by a technical decision after Esparza suffered a gruesome cut.
Joseph Diaz Jr. defeated Javier Fortuna by a clear decision in his lightweight debut Saturday in Los Angeles.
Joseph Diaz Jr. proved in convincing fashion that he belongs at 135 pounds.
Diaz, who agreed to fight Javier Fortuna on short notice, defeated his Dominican counterpart by a unanimous decision to win the WBC “interim” lightweight title on the Gilberto Ramirez-Sullivan Barrera card Friday in Los Angeles.
Fortuna (36-3-1, 25 KOs) was scheduled to fight Ryan Garcia but Garcia pulled out to tend to his mental health. That opened the door for Diaz, who had never fought as a full-fledged 135-pounder.
The former 130-pound titleholder proved on Friday that he could handle the physical rigors of the division, taking the fight to a longtime lightweight.
Fortuna was the busier boxer much of the fight but it was Diaz who was the more accurate puncher and he landed the bigger, cleaner shots to both the head and body, which obviously impressed the judges.
Diaz had to overcome a few obstacles, a cut about his left eye in Round 3 and losing a point for punching behind the head in Round 4. However, that made no difference in the end.
The judges scored it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112, all in favor of Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs).
Fortuna threw more punches than Diaz (761-521) but Diaz landed more (203-193), according to CompuBox.
The victory makes Diaz a major player in the lightweight division, which is ruled by undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez. Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis hold secondary titles.
Diaz made it clear that he’s prepared to face them or Garcia, who is expected to return to the ring soon.
Said Diaz after his victory: “Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, let’s make this s— happen. I’m ready.”
Joseph Diaz Jr. defeated Javier Fortuna by a clear decision in his lightweight debut Saturday in Los Angeles.
Joseph Diaz Jr. proved in convincing fashion that he belongs at 135 pounds.
Diaz, who agreed to fight Javier Fortuna on short notice, defeated his Dominican counterpart by a unanimous decision to win the WBC “interim” lightweight title on the Gilberto Ramirez-Sullivan Barrera card Friday in Los Angeles.
Fortuna (36-3-1, 25 KOs) was scheduled to fight Ryan Garcia but Garcia pulled out to tend to his mental health. That opened the door for Diaz, who had never fought as a full-fledged 135-pounder.
The former 130-pound titleholder proved on Friday that he could handle the physical rigors of the division, taking the fight to a longtime lightweight.
Fortuna was the busier boxer much of the fight but it was Diaz who was the more accurate puncher and he landed the bigger, cleaner shots to both the head and body, which obviously impressed the judges.
Diaz had to overcome a few obstacles, a cut about his left eye in Round 3 and losing a point for punching behind the head in Round 4. However, that made no difference in the end.
The judges scored it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112, all in favor of Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs).
Fortuna threw more punches than Diaz (761-521) but Diaz landed more (203-193), according to CompuBox.
The victory makes Diaz a major player in the lightweight division, which is ruled by undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez. Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis hold secondary titles.
Diaz made it clear that he’s prepared to face them or Garcia, who is expected to return to the ring soon.
Said Diaz after his victory: “Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, let’s make this s— happen. I’m ready.”
