By: Hans Themistode
Both Joseph Diaz Jr. and Devin Haney both announced that they would conduct their part in the center of the ring. When the opening bell rang to signal the start of their game at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, neither of them refused to back down.
Haney, 23, excitedly pumped a jab while trying to knock down her man. Seemingly trying to find the moment and navigate his way around Haney’s 7-inch range advantage, Diaz Jr fought warily.
With the first round safe in her back pocket, Haney continued to unbox her man in the second round. Diaz Jr., the former 130-pound world champion, ate a steady diet of punches and straights for the duration of the round.
Having spent most of the first two innings playing defensively, Diaz Jr picked up pace in the third. He relentlessly attacks Haney’s midsection followed by some outrageous right.
As the rounds passed, both fighters foamed and began to exchange in the middle of the ring. While that was the kind of dogfight that Diaz Jr hoped for, it was Haney who made the most of it. He easily boxed and moved while tagging his man with multiple hard hits.
However, a confident Diaz Jr was undaunted in his attacks. And in the seventh season, things started to turn around. The 29-year-old high-ranked candidate lowered Haney’s chin a huge right square. Then, he continued his best shot of the night with lots of punches and body blows.
With Diaz Jr.’s momentum on the rise, he was once again in the round of 16. A much more smug and reserved Haney spent most of his time trying to avoid difficult enemy shots.
During the championship rounds, Haney regained his composure and started boxing well. He links up with his massive punches to the body to try to slow Diaz Jr.
In the 12th and final round, Diaz Jr fought like a man who knew he needed a knockout to win. He started this phase in a frenzy. He shoved Haney from the moment he started ringing the bell and sped up. With his merits, Diaz Jr. have found a lot of success. Sometimes, he shows up to flirt with Haney. However, the current WBC lightweight belt holder never seems to be in real trouble.
While Diaz Jr did his best to end the show, Haney showed his determination to fight back in the weak seconds of the period.
In the end, despite Diaz Jr’s moments, he agreed with the judges’ scorecard. Dave Moretti and Max DeLuca both scored 117-111, while Tim Cheatham got 116-112 in favor of Haney, who retained his 135-pound title.
