Ryan Garcia and Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. are reportedly negotiating a deal to fight this fall. If the deal goes through, the most likely venue for the bout would be Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Mike Coppinger of ESPN broke the news late Friday evening.
“I’m going to take him to a place he’s never been before, physically and mentally,” Diaz Jr. told ESPN.
“Ryan Garcia, I feel like he’s a very talented fighter but he’s never been in the ring with the guys I’ve been in the ring with: some warriors trying to take your head off, not guys I’m going to put on a highlight reel.”
Garcia was initially set to fight Javier Fortuna this summer. However, the rising star took a sabbatical in order to handle certain mental health issues that may have hindered his performance. Instead of fighting Garcia, Fortuna fought Diaz Jr. In his lightweight debut, Diaz Jr. looked impressive as he earned a unanimous decision victory and walked away with the interim WBC lightweight title.
“I think I’ll stop Ryan in the later rounds,” Diaz added.
“My pressure and body shots will be too much for him. He’ll be feeling my shots and trying to hold and hug but I think my overwhelmingness will be one of the keys to victory.
Garcia-Diaz Jr. would add to an exciting slate of fall bouts that includes Joshua-Usyk, Fury-Wilder III, Herring-Stevenson, Alvarez-Plant and potentially Crawford-Porter. Not to mention, Gervonta Davis, Josh Taylor, Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Jermall Charlo and Demetrius Andrade could all land fights before the end of the year.
