Las Vegas– Devin “The Dream” Haney made yet another title defense of his WBC lightweight title, winning a comfortable unanimous decision over Golden Boy’s former champion Joseph “Jojo” Diaz. Diaz was originally supposed to face Ryan Garcia, though the stablemate pulled out due to a hand injury shortly after the fight was announced. Though the fight was competitive enough to be crowd-pleasing, Haney proved why he’s a step above and added a significant name to his growing resume.
Haney started dictating the pace of the fight since the opening bell, walking Diaz backwards with little response from the LA-native. Diaz had better success closing the distance in the following rounds, catching Haney with clean shots, though Haney seemed to always have an answer getting the better of the exchanges.
Diaz put his foot on the gas pedal in the fourth round, attempting to smother Haney landing vicious left hands and combinations that made the crowd roar in excitement. The fifth round consisted of Diaz adding pressure, with Haney countering and focusing on Diaz’s body. Diaz got the crowd jumping once again in the seventh round, landing the best punches of the fight yet, catching Haney with tremendous overhand lefts that perfectly landed on Haney’s chin. After slowing down in the eighth, Diaz came back with the same intensity in the ninth, trading with Haney in the middle of the ring and landing monstrous punches on the home fighter.
Though Diaz continued to have his moments in the later rounds, Haney didn’t buckle and maintained his composure while going back to his game plan and ending the rounds strong. The 12th round was a reflection of the entirety of the fight; with JoJo coming out strong knowing he needed a KO and landing his share of massive punches, but with Haney ultimately taking them and adjusting to look superior regardless. Though Diaz might’ve won the last round, he didn’t win enough of the earlier rounds to get a nod from the judges who scored the fight 117-111×2 and 116-112 for Haney.
Post fight, Haney called out Kambosos for the real undisputed title, claiming he’d go to Jupiter to make the fight happen. Diaz told Chris Mannix he felt the fight was closer, but made no excuses for his defeat.
With Haney being a free-agent and Kambosos having a good relationship with Hearn, it would be amazing for boxing to see these two top lightweights battle it out in 2022. As for Diaz, it seems like we’ve seen the best of him, though he could still prove to be a problem for other names in the division. Fuck it, give us the Garcia fight anyway.
"I'll go to Jupiter if I have to"
Haney vs. Kambosos coming up next? 👀#HaneyDiazJr pic.twitter.com/qCNw9qZNeI
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2021
In the co-main event, Montana Love captured another impressive knockout victory against Jalisciense Carlos Diaz, with the referee stopping the action in minute 1.22 of the third round. Though Love usually campaigns at junior welterweight, the fight was renegotiated as a catchweight bout at 144 when Love came in four pounds over the limit on Friday afternoon.
In the first round, both fighters felt each other out, with Love landing the better of the exchanges. Through the second round, however, Love floored Diaz three times, with the first two being over Love’s crisp left hooks. The third knockdown came after Love delivered a left uppercut followed up by a right hook. Though Diaz managed to survive the round and despite coming out his corner more aggressively for the third round, the referee felt he had taken enough punishment, stopping the fight mid-round as Love cornered Diaz against the ropes.
Montana Love wins by TKO in the third round 💪#HaneyDiazJr pic.twitter.com/3IiQZKCvbd
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2021
While Love danced celebrating the stoppage, Diaz protested against the ref. After the fight, both Love and Eddie Hearn told Mannix they were going after the entire 140 division in 2022. One can only hope he can make the weight for a possibility to make the come to fruition.
In a fight that made you wish women had three-minute rounds, Jessica “CasKILLA” McCaskill proved once again why she’s the best women’s welterweight in the world with a dominant performance over Kandi “Crush” Wyatt, stopping her 19 seconds into the seventh round. Though Wyatt was a late-replacement opponent, McCaskill never seem fazed by the change, using her relentless style to overwhelm her and use her as target practice for the entirety of the bout.
Jessica McCaskill finishes this one in the 7th round AND REMAINS THE UNDISPUTED WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION 🔝#HaneyDiazJr pic.twitter.com/U4Ve2v1fRq
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 5, 2021
Wyatt’s face turned red seconds after the opening bell with McCaskill coming out to insert her dominance, walking Wyatt down landing punches at short-distance. Through the early rounds, McCaskill delivered beautiful combinations to the face and body of Wyatt, causing blood to start dripping from the Canadian in the third round as she absorbed the heavy punches from the undisputed champ.
McCaskill focused on the body coming into the fifth round, with Wyatt landing a single uppercut before continuing to serve as a punching bag for the rugged McCaskill throughout the sixth round. Having seen enough punishment in the sixth round, the referee put at end to the beating shortly after the seventh-round opening bell with McCaskill landing a final two-punch combination.
In her post-fight interview, McCaskill assured Mannix she was comfortable in the weight division and was looking forward to the original Bustos fight. As for me, I’d love a rematch with Katie Taylor, with three-minute rounds.
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