Devin Haney calls out Joseph Diaz after his fight with Ryan Garcia falls apart
While it should not come as a surprise to boxing fans, social media star and lightweight boxer Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (21-0, 18 KO’s) has pulled out of another fight. This time Garcia was looking to test his might against former super featherweight champion Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KO’s). Instead though, the Californian kid has pulled out of the bout citing a hand injury as the culprit. Unfortunately for him, even if the ailment is legitimate, large scores of people will not believe him. Since his big win over Luke Campbell, King Ry has been more smoke and mirrors than a reliable product.
Yet, when an opportunity fades for one person, it typically opens up something for another. This is exactly the case in this scenario. With Garcia out of the way, the road is once again wide open for Diaz to dance with WBC world lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (26-0, 15 KO’s). It’s already a head-scratcher why Diaz wasn’t fighting Haney in the first place as he is his mandatory challenger. Interestingly enough, Garcia was Haney’s mandatory first and also passed on the title shot.
Y’ALL FIGHTING OR NO?!
Luckily, the Dream does not have an opponent on the books which makes it that much easier to sign a contract with Diaz. Clearly, Haney is up for the task as he was quick to show renewed interest in the showdown.
Not wanting to be backed into a corner, Jo Jo wasted no time in barking back at the Dream.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
If Diaz took on Haney, it would only be his second bout in the division. His first came on July 9 against the challenge of Javier Fortuna. Jo Jo would go on to win that dustup by way of unanimous decision. With the win, Diaz became the interim WBC lightweight champion and Haney’s mandatory. Even before he could exit the ring with Fortuna, Diaz was already expressing a desire to fight Garcia over Haney. Technically speaking, the former super featherweight champion did say the Dream’s name but it was clear as day his focus was on Garcia.
In the weeks to follow, his action would verify that the rumble with King Ry was more important to him. Diaz continued to feign interest in dueling with Haney but nothing that felt truly genuine. Hopefully, with Garcia no longer a viable impediment, the Haney versus Diaz prizefight will be announced in the next few weeks. Yet, it’s hard to imagine Diaz facing any other opponent and not incurring further and more intense ridicule from the boxing public. Let’s just sit back and watch how it plays out.
By: Bakari Simpson
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