Joseph Diaz Jr. has had to wait over a year to step inside a professional boxing ring with a world championship strapped around his waist. On Saturday, it will finally happen.
'Jo Jo' Diaz won the IBF super-featherweight title in January 2020 with a unanimous decision victory over Tevin Farmer. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, he hasn't competed since.
His first defense of the world championship comes this weekend when he meets Tajikistan's Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in Indio, California, live on DAZN across the globe.
And the American intends to remind the boxing world what he is capable of after a frustrating 12 months.
“Rakhimov brings a lot of will,” Diaz told Boxing Scene. “He has a lot of determination. He applies a lot of pressure. He throws a lot of shots.
"But I feel like my experience and the talent that I have, and the IQ that I have, with everything that I've been through in my professional career, I feel like I'm just gonna be able to do what I'm capable of doing. And I'm gonna go out there and shine that night. I really wanna make a statement, and I wanna put the division on notice and show that I'm the best at 130 pounds on February 13th."
With Jamel Herring vs. Carl Frampton and Miguel Berchelt vs. Oscar Valdez also taking place in February, the 130lb division has the opportunity to offer some big champion vs. champion matchups in the spring and summer of 2021.
Diaz vs. Rakhimov will be live on DAZN, the global sports streaming service, and you can subscribe for as little as £1.99 per month (depending on your region).
Sign up for a subscription here, and more details on the Diaz vs. Rakhimov card can be found here.