Photo by Ed Mullholland/HBO Latino
It was clear from the opening bell that Rene Alvarado (22-5, 15 KOs) had come to fight.
Though being knocked down partly by his momentum as he came forward in Round 1, Alvarado, 26, pushed forward against Joseph Diaz Jr. (17-0, 10 KOs) in every round of their 10-round fight at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles California.
Diaz, 22, would eventually win the fight via unanimous decision with scores of 98-91, 95-94 and 96-93, but he would have to earn it with a lot of work on the inside.
“I knew Alvarado was going to bring it and we fought ten hard rounds. But, I landed the bigger shots, the harder shots, and that made the difference,” said Diaz.
Indeed, as the fight grew more intense in Rounds 4 and 5, Diaz used his high guard to land combinations on Alvarado, who seemed to throw a million punches a round.
Diaz was able to control the fight at certain points, but at others he was backed up by the native of Managua, Nicaragua.
In the final round, after Diaz slipped, both fighters stood toe-to-toe and exchanged hooks and uppercuts, but it was not enough in the judges’ eyes to give Alvarado a win.
Alvarado, however, disagreed with the decision.
“I was his first big test and he did a good job. But, I feel that I dominated the fight and the win should have been mine,” said Alvarado.
Nevertheless, Diaz remained undefeated in his HBO Latino debut.
