Sycuan Boxing: Former IBF Champ Julio Diaz Faces Fernando Trejo On Halloween

ByBoxing Press

Former lightweight champion Julio Diaz, 35-4 (26), will spend Halloween night inside a ring as he takes on the grizzled veteran Fernando Trejo, 30-14-4 (18), on Friday, October 31, from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, televised on TeleFutura at 5 p.m. PT.

One year removed from his lightweight unification loss to Juan Diaz, Julio plans on making a statement on All Hallows’ Eve. “I think I belong with the best in the lightweight division,” said Diaz, who lives and trains out of Palm Springs, CA. “My fight against Juan [Diaz] wasn’t the real Julio. You’ll see the real Julio on Halloween night.”

Trejo of Jarrell, Texas, by way of Mexico City, Mexico, doesn’t have the shiniest of records, but he does have a solid chin as only one of his fourteen losses has come by knockout.

“Trejo is an experienced fighter,” Diaz said. “Young, undefeated fighters don’t want a piece of me because they know what will happen. Trejo, on the other hand, isn’t afraid. He will come out swinging.”

Diaz, who looked flawless in his last outing against David Torres in June at the Playboy Mansion, said he could have finished Torres in three rounds as opposed to the fifth round stoppage.

“I knew Torres wasn’t in my league from the first round,” Diaz said. “I used a few rounds to try some new things because I knew the knockout was just around the corner.”

The 28-year-old Diaz, who stands five-feet nine inches, showed up to training camp fit and hungry for another victory.

“I’ve never seen Julio this anxious to get into world title contention,” said Joel Diaz, Julio’s older brother and trainer. “Even when he was a young lion looking for his first world title shot, he wasn’t this fired up.

“That’s because the fire burns more intense once you become a world champion and get dethroned. You want it more because you’ve already had a taste and you miss it. Julio won’t rest until he becomes world champion again.”

The ten round lightweight bout is promoted by Top Rank in association with Sycuan Ringside Promotions of San Diego, CA.