Joseph Diaz Jr. Wins Majority Decision To Retain WBA Gold Super Featherweight Title In Mexico
In front of a restless crowd in Mexicali, Mexico, Joseph Diaz Jr. remains in the super featherweight world title picture with a close win over Jesus Cuadro.
Diaz defeated Cuadro by majority decision on a Golden Boy Promotions card that took place in Mexico on September 21. One judge had scored the fight a 114-114 while the other two judges had it 115-113 and 116-112 in favor of Diaz.
The fight opened with Diaz targeting the body with swift two, three-punch combinations with Cuadro failing to keep up with Diaz’s speed and power. Diaz continued to press forward the action, but didn’t land anything that would seriously hurt Cuadro in the first half of the bout. As the fight progressed, both men would lock up and remain stagnant when it comes to letting their hands go, causing the audience in attendance to start booing the fight in multiple rounds.
At times, Cuadro would be the more active fighter and tried to outbox Diaz, but barely connected on any big shots of his own. Both men continued fighting the second half of the bout with seemingly no real urgency to try and knock each other out. Diaz’s left hand did consistently land on Cuadro, keeping him from throwing anything more than two or three punches at a time. The fight was also marred at times with Diaz’s mouthpiece coming out more than once.
The win keeps Diaz in line for a potential world title shot against the likes of WBA champion Andrew Cancio and IBF champion Tevin Farmer, both of whom expressed interest in facing Diaz. This is Diaz’s fourth straight win since losing to WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. back in May 2018.
