Photos by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
On Saturday, March 26, 2016, Joseph Diaz Jr. (20-0, 11 KOs) took a step forward in his career with a dominant ten-round unanimous decision victory against Jayson Velez (23-2-1, 16 KOs) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Diaz won with scores of 100-91, 99-91, and 98-92.
Diaz, a native of El Monte, California, had a tough start as he pushed forward with hard shots to the body and straight lefts. Though he won the round, Diaz ate a big right hand that cut him below his left eye.
Velez, a native of Puerto Rico, seemed to be inspired by the cut he caused; however, he was quickly calmed down with several left hands that hurt him in Round 2.
Velez, though he’s had tough fights against Ronny Rios and Evgeny Gradovich, simply did not have the speed, skill, or the power to pose any threat to Diaz, so Diaz, a 23-year-old Olympian won every round with hard shot to the body and head.
In the later rounds, Diaz was cut again above his left eye, but he was not dissuaded from finishing strong against Velez.
After tonight’s win, Diaz can be considered a legitimate prospect in the Featherweight division, thought it seems he is still a bit away from a world title opportunity.
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