Devin Haney calls out Jojo Diaz for Dec.3rd fight

By Boxing News - 10/15/2021 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: Devin Haney has taken advantage of Ryan Garcia’s wrist injury to call out Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr. to step up to the plate and challenge him for his WBC lightweight title on December 3rd.  With ‘King Ry’  Garcia’s right wrist injury, his fight with Jo-Jo Diaz on November 27th will be postponed to a still to be determined date in 2022.

Devin Haney has now called out Jojo Diaz to fight him on Dec 3rd. Diaz was due to face Ryan Garcia on Nov 27th, but Garcia’s injury requires surgery to rule him out until 2022.

Like we saw with Ryan, Diaz Jr. (32-1-1, 15 KOs) has already passed up a guaranteed title shot against WBC 135-lb champion Haney (26-0, 15 KOs) after defeating Javier Fortuna in a WBC-ordered title eliminator on July 9th.

Haney offering Jojo Diaz a fight on Dec.3rd

At the time, Diaz Jr. had an excellent excuse not to face Haney, 22, because he was going to meet Ryan and get a nice payday. But now that ‘King Ry’ Garcia is injured with a right wrist problem, Jojo Diaz needs an opponent unless he wants to sit and wait for Ryan to heal up and rehabilitate his injury.

That could result in Diaz, 28, sitting on the shelf for the next seven to eight months, which isn’t ideal for any fighter, particularly one that wants to defeat the unbeaten, highly hyped Ryan Garcia.

It’s going to look bad if Jojo Diaz turns down the offer from  Haney because this is a title shot. The money will be good for Jojo Diaz in challenging Haney for his WBC 135lb strap on DAZN, and if he wins, he’ll have the belt in his possession when he takes on Ryan in 2022.

Jojo Diaz Jr. has got to accept the offer from Haney because if he turns it down, it’s going to make him look like he’s ducking. I mean, if Diaz Jr. beats Ryan Garcia, he’s going to be Haney’s WBC mandatory anyway.

In other words, Diaz Jr. will have to challenge Haney sooner or later for his WBC title unless he wants to keep turning it down.

Image: Devin Haney calls out Jojo Diaz for Dec.3rd fight

De La Hoya reacts to Ryan Garcia’s injury

“Ryan is a very resilient young man,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman, and CEO of Golden Boy. “We hope he takes the necessary time to heal and recover.

“As a fighter, I understand the importance of taking hand injuries seriously, and I am glad Ryan is doing the right thing and addressing the injury quickly. We wish him a speedy recovery.”

The way Ryan’s career is going, it’s like he’s an old guy, not a young fighter, only 23. Ryan’s career isn’t looking promising between the injuries, anxiety problem, and his inability to follow through when calling out the big names.