Oscar Duarte batters Joseph Diaz Jr., becomes first to stop ex-titleholder

FRESNO – Oscar Duarte was able to rebound from a loss to stop a former world titleholder.

Duarte stopped Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz in round nine Saturday night before a partisan crowd at the Save Mart Center. A left hook, followed by a right hand to the head prompted referee Michael Margado to step in and stop the fight at the 2:32 mark.

Duarte improved to 27-2-1, 22 knockouts. 

From the opening bell, Duarte walked the southpaw Diaz down, throwing an array of punches to the head and body. Diaz looked to counter, throwing left uppercuts or right hooks to Duarte.

After Duarte landed the more effective punches during the first three rounds, Diaz was able to find success after letting his hands go, connecting with a series of combinations that momentarily forced Duarte to regroup. 

Momentum swung back to Duarte’s side midway during the fifth round, a right-left combination to the head momentarily staggered Diaz. Later in the round, another combination thrown by Duarte backed Diaz up against the ropes. 

#OscarDuarte stops #jojodiazjr in the 9th round🔥#RamirezBarthelemy | April 27 | Live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/pennJgsAsN

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 28, 2024

Duarte continued backing Diaz up against the ropes, this time finding success in the sixth round after connecting with a left hook to the body, followed by a combination to the head.

Both fighters had their moments during the eighth round, as each connected while standing and trading punches in the pocket. Duarte landed a lead overhand right to the head, but Diaz countered with a two-punch combination to the head. 

Early in the ninth round, Duarte dug into Diaz’s body with left hooks and right hands. Later in the round, Duarte backed Diaz up against the ropes, throwing and landing a series of punches, which set up the eventual stoppage.

The 28-year-old Duarte was coming off a knockout loss to Ryan Garcia on December 9 in a competitive fight. He recently started working with trainer Robert Garcia in Riverside, California. Prior to the loss to Garcia, Duarte had notched victories over D’Angelo Keyes, Alex Martin, and Mark Bernaldez.

Diaz, who grew up in South El Monte, California, falls to 33-6-1, 15 KOs. Diaz was coming off a close split-decision loss to Jesus Perez in his previous fight on February 15. 

The loss to Duarte hurts Diaz’s standing as a contender. The former IBF world junior lightweight titleholder has now lost five of his last six bouts, with this one being his first by stoppage.

The fight between Duarte and Diaz was fought at contracted weight of 138 pounds. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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