Former world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (32-2-1, 15 KOs) of South El Monte, California, returns to the ring when he faces undefeated lightweight William “El Camarón” Zepeda (26-0, 23 KOs) of Mexico on Saturday night, October 29 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, live on DAZN.
“I’m excited to be a headliner, to fight one of the best in the division, as well as a champion, and William Zepeda will bring out the best in me,” Joseph Diaz Jr. said of his upcoming fight with Zepeda. “Overall, it’s a great fight. It will be a great fight because William Zepeda brings it and so do I.”
It’s all or nothing for Diaz in this fight, as he is coming off a unanimous decision loss at the hands of now-undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney last December. A win over Zepeda will catapult Diaz into another major fight or a shot at the world title.
“This fight represents everything in my career. I’m coming off a loss to Devin Haney, the fight turned out the way it was, I feel like I’m still the best fighter and I only depended on a single punch to deliver cleaner punches, but now it adds more fuel to me. Diaz said.
The 2012 U.S. Olympian, Diaz began his career undefeated and suffered his first loss to Gary Russell Jr. in his first shot at a world title. Diaz wasn’t done, recovering and earning another shot at a world title, defeating Tevin Farmer in January 2020 to win the IBF super featherweight title. Making the first defense of his title, Diaz fought to a draw against Shavka Rahmikov in the distance of 12 rounds and then won a unanimous decision over Javier Fortuna in the defense of his title.
“I love competing and fighting the best. With my defeats I am always growing and taking them as learnings, “said Diaz.
With preparation under his belt, Diaz along with his father Joseph Sr. and respected coach Ben Lira are ready for the challenge in Zepeda.
“It’s been a solid camp; I’ve trained hard and stayed focused. I’m ready for this fight with Zepeda,” Diaz said of his preparation.
His opponent, Zepeda, a left-hander, has caught some eyeballs in recent years. He made his U.S. debut in November 2020 by scoring an impressive knockout over Roberto Ramirez. Zepeda followed up with a stop of previously undefeated and highly hyped prospect Hector Tanajara in July 2021 and closed the year with a fourth-round knockout over John Vicente Moralde. This year, Zepeda struggled in his knockout victory over Luis Videas when he hit the canvas in that fight. In his last fight, he went all the way with veteran elder Rene Alvarado last May.
“I saw his fight with Tanajara and Alvarado, styles make fights, but I don’t really take that into account. It’s a matter of who will adapt and who will prepare for fight night. I’ve faced several lefties in my career, it’s nothing new to me. I know he’s going to apply a lot of pressure. He wins his fights by applying a lot of pressure,” Diaz of Zepeda. “I’m on another level, he’s a one-dimensional fighter. He hasn’t fought a guy as experienced as a strong, skilled, fast, accurate boxer like me. He’s going to see it. I’ll connect my hard punches and throw as much as he does. May the best win,” Diaz added.
A win here obviously puts Diaz back in the lightweight mix that includes Haney, who already defeated him, George Kambosos Jr., Teofimo Lopez, Vasyl Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis, who has been speculated to rise to 140 as a result of the appearance of Shakur Stevenson, who recently lost his titles on the scale after failing to reach the 130-pound weight limit.
“I’ll go out and show it to everyone. I’m still the best at 135. After a good performance, people will demand that I fight for a world title again. I want to fight against the best, I want to continue and give the best fights for the fans,” while Diaz promises to have his name back in the mix. “This fight sets the winner for a mega fight. This is a sink-or-swim fight,” Diaz added.
Will it be sinking or swimming for Diaz? Since Zepeda already considered him a highly touted rising contender in Mexico, he seeks to surpass Diaz. Now, the 29-year-old father understands the importance of sacrificing and compromising, as the birth of his son has helped him stay more focused on his career. Dedicated and with the right discipline, Diaz understands his role and seeks to continue his path to becoming a two-time world champion.
“Now that I have my guy with me all the time it’s more motivating. I’m doing this for my son. It’s a blessing for me,” Diaz said. “This fight is not going to the distance. I will make sure Zepeda feels my punches, then I hope to be champion once again.”
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