By Dan Ambrose: Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. feels that WBC lightweight champion Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney lacks the toughness needed to beat him when they fight next month on December 4th on DAZN at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas.
The former IBF super featherweight champion Diaz Jr. (32-1-1, 15 KOs) thinks Haney doesn’t have the “dog” in him to make him a threat. Jojo believes that when the going gets tough, Haney will fold like a cheap suit next month.
Diaz, 28, has the advantage in experience over the 22-year-old Haney (26-0, 15 KOs), who has faced only one relevant opponent during his six-year career, and that’s Jorge Linares. Haney was able knocked out by Linares last May.
It looked like Haney was folding against Linares after getting hurt in the championship rounds, and Haney spent the better part of the last quarter of the fight hanging on and refusing to let go of Linares.
The crowd booed the nonaction, but there wasn’t much they could do about it because the referee was letting Haney get away with it.
The referee could have penalized or disqualified Haney for gaming the system in the last four rounds by running out the clock, but he chose not to.
The December 4th fight between Haney and Jojo Diaz Jr. is essential, as the winner will face IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez for the undisputed 135-lb championship.
Teofimo needs Haney’s WBC belt to call himself the undisputed champion at 135 and not be laughed at for embellishing his credentials.
“It means everything to me. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of fighting in Las Vegas as the main event headlining for a WBC belt or a world title in general,” said Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. to Fight Hub TV on his December 4th match against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney.
“For that to happen, it’s a dream come true. I’m making a show I’m covering all the bases, and I’m making sure that not just physically training every single day and busting my a**physically but mentally as well.
“I don’t think he has the dog in him, and I’m going to show to everybody what I’m talking about come fight night,” said Jojo Diaz about Haney.
“He hasn’t been in the deep waters inside the pro ring, and I feel like when I take him there, it’s going to be hard for him to adapt because he’s never been there before,” Jojo said.
If Jojo Diaz takes Haney into deep waters, he’s going to need to put some pressure on him because he’s going to be trying to box the entire fight.
Haney can’t punch, and he would be out of his element if he tried to slug. We’re likely to see Haney imitating Floyd Mayweather Jr. by boxing Diaz and using his pull-back style to hit & run all night.
