Joseph "Jojo" Diaz Jr. won the IBF junior lightweight title in rousing fashion last January but never got to defend the title due to the COVID-19 pandemic that flipped sports, not to mention the world, upside down. Now, after 13 months, Diaz returns to the ring and puts his championship on the line against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in his first title defense. It all goes down at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., on Saturday night, live and exclusively on DAZN in over 200 countries. The card's co-main event will pit Patrick Teixeira putting his WBO junior middleweight title on the line against Brian Castano.
Diaz made his childhood dream of becoming a world champion come to fruition in January 2020 by edging Tevin Farmer via unanimous decision. The bout marked the 28-year-old's fifth consecutive victory, as the only loss that Diaz (31-1, 15 KOs) suffered came against Gary Russell Jr. back in May 2018.
He'll be facing an undefeated 26-year-old Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs), who is coming off an eighth-round TKO of Azinga Fuzile back in September 2019. Rakhimov enters the bout with Diaz as the mandatory challenger to the IBF junior lightweight crown.
Will Diaz show that he's arguably the best at 130 pounds, or will Rakhimov pull off the upset and do it with yet another stoppage? Here are all the details on live streaming Diaz vs. Rakhimov.
What time is JoJo Diaz vs. Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov?
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 13
- Main card time: 8 p.m. ET
- Diaz-Rakhimov: 11 p.m. ET
The Joseph "Jojo" Diaz Jr. vs. Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov main card launches at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night, with the challenger and champion expected to make their ring walks at approximately 11 p.m. ET, depending on the length of the earlier fights. Over in the UK, the main card kicks off at 1 a.m. GMT, with the main event slated for about 4 a.m. early Sunday morning.
How to live stream Diaz vs. Rakhimov
- DAZN
The card will stream live on DAZN in upwards of 200 countries and territories. The global sports live streaming platform works with many Internet-connected devices and smart TVs.
Click here to learn more about DAZN in your region.
Where is the Diaz vs. Rakhimov fight happening?
Diaz will defend his IBF junior lightweight title against Rakhimov at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. without fans in attendance due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This bout will mark the ninth time that Diaz fights at the venue, while Rakhimov will be making his United States debut.
Joseph Diaz record and bio
- Name: Joseph Diaz Jr.
- Nationality: American
- Born: Nov. 23, 1992
- Height: 5-6
- Reach: 64 inches
- Total fights: 32
- Record: 31-1 with 15 knockouts
Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov record and bio
- Name: Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov
- Nationality: Russian
- Born: Aug. 14, 1994
- Height: 5-8½
- Reach: N/A
- Total fights: 15
- Record: 15-0 with 12 knockouts
Diaz vs. Rakhimov fight card
- Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov for Diaz’s IBF Junior Lightweight title
- Patrick Teixeira vs. Brian Castano for Teixeira’s WBO Junior Middleweight title
- Ronny Rios vs. Oscar Negrete; Junior Featherweight
- Shane Mosley Jr. vs. Cristian Olivas; Middleweight
- Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Morgan Fitch; Super Middleweight
- Azat Hovhannisyam vs. Enrique Bernache; Junior Featherweight
- Victor Morales vs. Jose Gonzalez; Featherweight
- Dalis Kaleiopu vs. Eduardo Sanchez; Lightweight
- Elnur Abduraimov vs. TBA; Lightweight