Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney’s Former Opponents Set to Fight on April 27

Many saw this coming, but now it’s official! Earlier today, Oscar De La Hoya revealed on Instagram that Joseph Diaz Jr. will go toe-to-toe with Oscar Duarte on April 27. The lightweight cross-roads fight would transpire on the undercard of the Jose Ramirez-headlining event at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, live on DAZN Boxing.

The 10-round clash has been rumored for the last month, and Diaz even made the news public earlier on X before deleting the tweet altogether. Duarte (26-2-1) is coming off an eight-round technical knockout loss at the hands of Ryan Garcia at the Toyota Center in Houston. The fight was marketed as Garcia’s return from the Gervonta Davis loss.

Despite losing the fight, Duarte put on an impressive performance in December last year. Meanwhile, Diaz Jr. (33-5-1) hasn’t been doing well! Having fought Devin Haney back in December 2021, a fight that saw Diaz Jr.’s second career defeat, the former champion has collected numerous losses. 

Out of his last five fights, ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz managed to win just one against Jerry Perez via unanimous decision. His last fight was against Mexico’s Jesus Antonio Perez Campos, which Diaz Jr. lost via split decision. So, there’s a massive cloud of doubt about whether the former champion can bring back his glory days. Meanwhile, DAZN Boxing has unearthed the details about the rest of the boxers who will feature in the event later this month.

Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Oscar Duarte: Who else is on the card?

During the same event, unified WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine flyweight champion Marlen Esparza (14-1) will take on the former WBC champion Gabriela Alaniz (14-1) in a 10-round grudge rematch. The duo fought back in July last year, with Esparza taking home all the belts via majority decision victory. 

Also on the card, NABF welterweight title holder Raul Curiel (14-0) will look to defend his regional title against Jorge Marron Jr. (20-4-2) in a 10-round fight. Meanwhile, in the prelims, Jennah Creason from Visalia, California, will make her much-anticipated debut in a four-round clash against an unknown boxer. 

Not to forget, also in the prelims, Brian Lua (8-0) from Madera, California, will compete in a six-round lightweight fight. Last but not least, Figo Gonzalez (5-0) from Dallas, Texas, will fight in a four-round super flyweight clash. Opponents for either fighter are yet to be announced by Golden Boy Promotions. 

Even though both Joseph Diaz Jr. and Oscar Duarte are coming off losses, the upcoming fight presents an interesting opportunity for them to redeem their losses. However, looking at the track record, Duarte might emerge as the victor. Do you agree? Are you excited about the event?