Boxing Preview: Diaz vs. Diaz For World Lightweight Title

Tonight at the Sears Center in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, IL, Don King Productions puts on a big bill headlined by WBA/WBO Lightweight Champion Juan Diaz clashing with IBF Champion Julio Diaz.

It’s an exciting fight that has been brewing for years as Julio has fought through large measures of hard luck to get where he is today and is clearly disrepectful of what he sees as Juan’s clearer path to a world title.

But the Houston, TX based Juan Diaz, 32-0 (16), has clearly achieved a respectable resume up to this point in his career as demonstrated by wins over Acelino Freitas, Lakva Sim, Julien Lorcey, Jose Miguel Cotto and others.

The Coachella, CA based Julio Diaz, 34-3 (25), had to reconcile losses to Jose Luis Castillo, Angel Manfredy and Juan Valenzuela through such victories over Jesus Chavez, Javier Jauregui, Ricky Quiles and Courtney Burton.

It should be an explosive bout when the bell rings as there is no love lost between accurate body puncher Juan and the more head hunting Julio but the winner will go on to bigger fights and the loser will have to pick up the pieces and start all over again.

That alone should provide Julio Diaz with plenty of incentive but Juan Diaz is a ferocious competitor and has yet to taste the bitterness of defeat.