By Ian S Palmer
Former IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz Jr of Downey, California returns to the ring this Saturday, July 8th when he takes on Jerry Perez of Harbor City, California in an attempt to halt his three-fight losing skid. The 10-round lightweight contest takes place in San Antonio, Texas and can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Diaz dropped a 10-round split decision to Mercito Gesta in his last outing in March for his third straight loss after losing to William Zepeda last October by a wide unanimous decision and losing the same way to Devin Haney 10 months earlier in a shot at the WBC Lightweight Title. Perez last fought in April when he boxed to an eight-round draw with Adrian Corona.
The 30-year-old southpaw Diaz Jr. lost his first world title shot when he dropped a unanimous decision to WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr. in May, 2018. He then beat WBA Titleholder Jesus Rojas by unanimous decision three months later but came in overweight for the fight and wasn’t able to win the belt. It was third time lucky for him though when he beat Tevin Farmer for the IBF Super Featherweight Title via unanimous decision in 2020.
He then lost the belt when he failed to make weight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February, 2021 and ended up fighting to a 12-round draw with him. In his following fight he won the WBC interim belt with a unanimous decision over Javier Fortuna but lost it against Devin Haney and was then beaten by Zepeda and Gesta in his last outing to bring his pro record to 32-4-1 with 15 Ko’s. As an amateur, Diaz was a member of the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team at the 2012 Games in London, England where he went 1-1 as a bantamweight. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Amateur Championships.
Diaz turned pro in December, 2012 and has fought 285 rounds since. He has average power at best in his fists with a with a current knockout ratio of 40.5 per cent and has gone the distance in 10 of his last 11 fights. He stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 64-inch inch and has also captured the NABF and WBO-NABO Featherweight Titles and the WBA Gold Super Featherweight Crown. He also has wins over Jesus Cuadro, Freddy Fonseca, Victor Terrazas, Rafael Rivera, Manuel Avila, Horacio Garcia, Jayson Velez, Hugo Partida, Rene Alvarado, Roberto Castaneda and Ruben Tamayo.
The 30-year-old Perez has been fighting in the Team Combat League recently where he stands at 1-1 and enters the ring with an official boxing record of 14-2-1 with 11 Ko’s. He measures 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 69-inch reach which gives him a two-inch edge in height on Diaz as well as a five-inch reach advantage. He also has more power in his punches as his current knockout ratio stands at 64.7 per cent but has gone the distance in his past two outings. He’s also winless in his last two fights with a draw and loss and has lost two of his past four fights.
Perez made his pro debut in 2017 and was beaten by Frank Martin by seventh-round KO in April, 2021 and dropped an eight-round split decision to Michel Rivera two fights later in October, 2022. Perez started his pro career like a house on fire though with a mark of 13-0 and 10 Ko’s. He’s taking a step up in class against Diaz this weekend however as his best wins have been against the likes of Jose Luis Araiza, Ivan Leon Benitez, Joshua Zuniga and Erick Lanzas Jr and nine of his 17 opponents have entered the ring with losing records.
Prediction…
Diaz desperately needs a win here to get his career back on track after suffering three straight defeats. He’s won just one of his last five fights with the three defeats and a draw. He’s taking on a journeyman here to bounce back but can’t afford to take Perez lightly due to his power. Diaz has greater experience and boxing skills but will need to work his way inside without getting nailed while moving in. Diaz can’t afford another loss here and I think he’ll do enough to come out on top thanks to his skills and experience.
