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Joseph Diaz Jr. focused on Ramiro Robles

Fighters Network
07
Jul

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Junior featherweight Joseph Diaz Jr. has heard the declaration by fellow 122-pound prospect Diego De La Hoya that he already envisions eventual bouts against him and WBC beltholder Leo Santa Cruz.

Diaz and De La Hoya, promotional stablemates, will share Wednesday's Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes-telelvised card at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino when the "Golden Boy Live!" series returns to Las Vegas.

But while Diaz (10-0, 7 knockouts) acknowledges a potential meeting could happen between himself and the 19-year-old De La Hoya (5-0, 4 KOs), the 21-year-old southpaw remains focused on his upcoming bout against the hard-hitting Ramiro Robles (11-1-1, 6 KOs).



"I know that Diego is going to want to look good in his fight, and I've had a really great camp and I know that I'm going to look good in my fight as well," said Diaz, a 2012 U.S. Olympian.

"So I know that people are going to be talking about us matching up and about us fighting each other, and I just feel that will be a fight later on down the line…There are a lot of good fights in the division, and those are going to be fights that are a work in progress."

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Diaz and De la Hoya are appearing on the undercard of a main event featuring former welterweight and junior middleweight title challenger Alfonso Gomez (23-6-2, 12 KOs) in a 154-pound bout with Ed Paredes (35-3-1, 23 KOs). Gomez-Paredes is happening in advance of Golden Boy's July 12 matchup between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara from The MGM Grand on Showtime Pay Per View.

De La Hoya, first-cousin to Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya, will face Miguel Tamayo (14-8-2, 12 KOs), loser of his last fight by unanimous decision to Gary Russell Jr.

"I do see a future fight between myself and Diego, but I'm not looking at Diego as my competition as of yet. Yes, we're both fighting on the same card, and yes, I'm sure that people are going to be thinking of that after our fights, and I know that Diego is ready and that he wants to look good in his fight. So do I, because I'm in against a very tough fighter," said Diaz.

"Robles comes forward and he likes to break down his opponents. He has very good positioning. Last time out, he went eight rounds just throwing knockout punches. It's going to be a good fight. My last fight, we went to a decision, and we got a good six rounds in against a tough veteran. If it so happens that I land a good shot on my opponent or a land a good body shot on him, and that drops him, then that drops him. I just want to fight and box and hit and not get hit, but we're ready."

 

 

Videos by Dominic Verdin, Daniel Morales and Alan Massengale

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