By Matt Lieberman: Eddie Hearn has revealed that he’s started talks for a November fight between WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney and mandatory Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr.
Hearn says he’s speaking to Golden Boy Promotions this week to see what the numbers are to get this fight made between former IBF super featherweight Jo Jo Diaz Jr (32-1-1, 15 KOs) and Haney (26-0, 15 KOs).
Although Diaz Jr. recently expressed interest in fighting Ryan Garcia next, Hearn says that fight doesn’t looks like it’s going to happen. Earlier this week, Ryan, 22, posted on social media that next year will be a “big” one for him.
The impression that Ryan gave is that he’s done for the remainder of the year, and won’t be fighting Jo Jo Diaz Jr or anyone for that matter.
Haney, 23, is coming off a grueling war with former three-division world champion Jorge Linares last May in an exciting back and forth fight that had fans on the edge of their seats in Las Vegas.
Hearn wants Haney vs. Jo Jo Diaz Jr. in Nov.
“Yeah, I think so,” said Eddie Hearn to DAZN Boxing Show when asked if he’d be interested in matching Devin Haney against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. “Rolly has kind of come out of nowhere.
“He’s been on the scene of the hardcore boxing channels for a while, and obviously, his last fight was on a bigger stage and a bigger platform.
“I think it’s a fight that would have a lot of juice in it. Therefore, it’s a fight that would make sense, but I must say the target remains ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz against Haney for November.
“That’s the fight we want to make because that’s a real fight, and that’s a good fight. No disrespect to Rolly but I just don’t think that’s a difficult fight for Devin Haney, I really don’t.
“Jo Jo Diaz is a multi-weight world champion and is coming off a win over [Javier] Fortuna. I think that’s a proper fight for the division.
“Devin wants those big fights, and if it’s not a [Teofimo] Lopez, a Ryan Garcia, or a Tank [Davis], Jo Jo Diaz is a great option. So that’s where our priorities remain at the moment,” Hearn said.
It’s understandable why Hearn prefers the more proven Jo Jo Diaz Jr. for Haney over Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, given he’s better known, and arguably more stable.
With Rolly talking about retirement in the last week, you don’t know if he’s coming or going. That’s not someone that Hearn should be pursuing for a fight with Haney, who has already had a difficult time getting top fighters to face him.
Haney vs. Diaz Jr talks this week
“We’re speaking to Golden Boy and he’s MTK managed. We’re going through the numbers as early as this week to try and get that made,” said Hearn about negotiations between the Golden Boy-promoted Joseph Diaz Jr. and Haney.
“There’s a lot to say about Jo Joe Diaz saying ‘I prefer Ryan Garcia to fight.’ I don’t know that Ryan will fight this year.
“I saw a post yesterday saying, ‘2022 is going to be my year, big fights only.’ Does that mean you’re still running out this year or are you just going to wait. I don’t know.
“These months are coming up quick. It’s September next week. It’s coming around real quick this year. When you start thinking about October, we’re thinking about possible dates in September.
“Even our October shows we’re announcing probably next week. That’s not far away. It’s seven, eight weeks away. When you start talking about a December fight. People are thinking, ‘December?’
“That’s not long away. You’ve got AJ [Anthony Joshua] in one month today. That’s September 25th. We’re talking Chocolatito – Estrada on October 16th. Like I said, everything is coming around real fast,” Hearn said.
Hopefully, Hearn can make a deal for November with Golden Boy Promotions for the Haney-Diaz Jr. fight. That’s a great one if he can get it over the line this year.