Joseph Diaz a Few Steps Away From Title Shot, Says Golden Boy VP
By Steve Kim
Featherweight Joseph Diaz is now rated in the top ten by the WBC, IBF and WBO. Earlier this year he made his debut on HBO by out-pointing Jayson Velez of Puerto Rico.
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Diaz will return to the ring on September 17th, when he will be perform on the televised portion of the Saul Alvarez-Liam Smith pay-per-view undercard from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Diaz (21-0, 12 KO's) will be facing Andrew Cancio (17-3-2, 13 KO's).
"We wanted to get a guy that was rated for Joseph and Joseph's a couple of steps away from a world title. So this will get him in position to get to a world title and I think he's ready for a world title after that. We're keeping him busy and we're keeping him in the public eye," said Eric Gomez, the Sr. V.P. of Golden Boy Promotions, who has handled Diaz's career since coming out of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Diaz just fought on July 30th, where he stopped Victor Proa in two rounds at the Fantasy Springs Casino on HBO Latino.
"It's a step up for him, it's a tough fight. Andrew Cancio is dangerous, he's a live dog in the fight,"said Gomez, who took Cancio off the September 30th card he was scheduled to headline at the Fantasy Springs Casino.
Golden Boy announced on Friday that the WBA lightweight eliminator between Michael Perez and Petr Petrov has replaced Diaz's appearance on the Fantasy Springs show.
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.
