Devin Haney and Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. finalized the terms of their fight. The WBC lightweight title will be on the line when the pair clash on December 4 in Las Vegas. This fight was in the making ever since Ryan Garcia pulled out of his fight against Jojo Diaz because of his hand injury.
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Devin Haney and Joseph Diaz Jr. have agreed to terms for a WBC lightweight title fight on Dec. 4 in Las Vegas, multiple sources told @MikeCoppinger. pic.twitter.com/nT697qroLX
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 2, 2021
Joseph Diaz Jr. will finally get the title shot he has wanted after becoming the WBC interim lightweight champion in July this year. Haney, on the other hand, will look to preserve his unbeaten record and successfully defend his title. Ahead of their matchup, let’s take a look at the 5 things you need to know about this fight.
1. Joseph Diaz Jr. was unhappy with the rematch clause in the contract
The two fighters were having a tough time agreeing to terms for their December 4 clash. On Monday, Diaz complained about the rematch clause in the contract.
If Jojo Diaz defeats ‘The Dream’, he will owe the WBC lightweight champion an immediate rematch. What this means for Diaz is he will not be able to pursue other lucrative fights.
2. Jojo Diaz is an Olympian
Back in 2012, a 19-year-old amateur bantamweight named Joseph Diaz Jr. represented the US Olympic team. In just the second round of competition, he lost to the gold-medal favorite Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba via decision.
3. Devin Haney has been wanting this fight for the last two years
🇺🇸 Teofimo Lopez
🇺🇸 Ryan Garcia
🇺🇸 Devin Haney
🇺🇸 Gervonta Davis
🇺🇦 Vasiliy Lomachenko
🇺🇸 Jojo Diaz
🇺🇸 Shakur Stevenson
🇲🇽 Oscar ValdezThe list of talent in the 135lb and 130lb divisions is insane 🤯
5/8 of those fighters are under the age of 27
Boxings future is bright ✨ pic.twitter.com/fWu5cdOSQA
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) October 25, 2021
Although Haney has not pursued this exact fight against Jojo Diaz Jr, the 22-year-old American has wanted an elusive big fight against a top-tier opponent ever since he won the WBC title back in 2019. However, many lightweights, including Jojo Diaz, did not want to fight the undefeated champion.
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4. This will be the toughest test of Devin Haney’s career
In his 26 fights, Jojo Diaz will probably be the toughest test for Devin Haney. ‘The Dream’ barely survived his last fight against former three-division world champion Jorge Linares.
Despite dominating the early rounds, Haney went into survival mode from the 9th round till the 12th round. Linares stunned the champion a couple of times in the championship rounds.
5. Devin Haney wants to fight Gervonta Davis next
"I SPOKE WITH DEVIN HANEY AND I SAID, 'ARE YOU HAPPY TO PUT YOUR NAME IN THE MIX?' AND HE SAID, 'YEAH!'"
Eddie Hearn says Devin Haney 🇺🇸 is willing to step in against Gervonta Davis 🇺🇸 on Dec 5 if 'Rolly' Romero 🇺🇸 is removed due to recent allegations (via @boxingscene)#Boxing pic.twitter.com/ktA81jYcTP
— Fight HQ (@FightHQTV) November 1, 2021
Devin Haney expressed his desire to fight the king of the division, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. Haney will probably challenge Tank for his belts, provided he beats Jojo Diaz Jr.
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Haney is just 22 years old and has a lot of boxing ahead of him. If he keeps his performances up, he could become one of the greatest champions of the division.
