FightHype staff predictions are in for this weekend's clash as WBA and WBO champion Juan Diaz takes on IBF champion Julio Diaz in a lightweight unification showdown. Which Diaz will win? Which Diaz will lose? Which Diaz will stake his claim as the undisputed lightweight champion of the world? Get the answers to these questions and more in FightHype's staff predictions. Check it out!
JUAN DIAZ -VS- JULIO DIAZ
The Hype - Juan Diaz TKO10
While I do think that Julio has enough boxing skill to make it a competitive scrap, I just don't think he'll have what it takes to close the show when the fight's on the line. I expect to see some good back-and-forth action, but as the fight progresses, the constant pressure from the Baby Bull will be too much to handle. Juan Diaz by tenth round stoppage.
Percy Crawford- Juan Diaz TKO8
Last time I went against the "Baby Bull", he made Frietas quit on the stool so I wont make the mistake of doing that again; at least not against Julio Diaz. His relentless style will overwhelm Julio and eventually wear him down in the later rounds.
Angel Colon - Juan Diaz by Unanimous Decision
Juan Diaz will get off the canvas to win an entertaining, close fight!
Josh Jordon - Juan Diaz by Unanimous Decision
This fight should be an all-action affair. Both guys come to fight, but Juan Diaz's activity level will be the difference here. I see a score around 116-112 with a few rounds being incredibly close.
Al Mermini - Juan Diaz TKO7
Juan's workrate and underrated speed will be too much for the soft chinned Julio Diaz. I feel he will be unable to mount any sustained offensive attack throughout his bout against the Baby Bull. The pressure from Juan should prove too much for the IBF world champion.
Jeff Young - Juan Diaz TKO8
Juan is too aggressive for Julio. He just keeps coming and I feel it will be Julio's downfall. Plus I'm not sold on Julio's chin.
Charles Presnell - Juan Diaz TKO7
Julio may be the best fighter in his family, but he has not shown up for his major fights against Manfredy or Castillo, not to mention his devastating first round loss to Valenzuela. OK, to be fair to him, he did show a lot of heart against Castillo. Julio's win over Jesus Chavez was something that wasn't suprising since Chavez had not fought for so long and was coming off of the Leavander Johnson fight. Juan has proved that he can win the big fights against other marquee fighters. Look for Juan to be too strong and too busy for Julio and to win by stoppage right around the seventh round.
Jack Plato - Juan Diaz by Unanimous Decision
A very entertaining fight will be observed here with just the right amounts of boxing and slugging from each man. Expect a lot of punches to be thrown in this potential war that is not getting the type of coverage that it deserves. But in the final rounds of a very competitive battle, I think that Juan's strength and punches down the stretch will allow him to pull out a decision in a very good to great fight.
TitleBelt - Juan Diaz by Unanimous Decision
John Tandy (www.ultimateboxingresults.com) - Juan Diaz TKO7
This one definitely has the potential to be fight of the weekend. Juan Diaz is the favorite and deservedly so. He's not the biggest of punchers, but he wears down opponents and his recent win over Acelino Freitas proved what a great engine he has. Julio is a big puncher, but I think that is where his only chance in this fight lies. Juan has never been stopped or defeated so it would be a huge task and not one I really believe he is capable of. I see the fight being a bit of a tear up for the first 3-4 rounds and then Juan will start to wear down Julio, grinding out another win around the 7th or 8th round and holding on to his title belts, adding Julio's IBF title to his collection.
Joe Falvo - Juan Diaz by Unanimous Decision
Tough fight. Julio Diaz is a slick veteran and he can punch a bit too, but Juan Diaz is as strong as an ox and he proved it against Freitas. While I don't think it's a given because Julio can punch and box, I favor the Baby Bull to once again take the win from the more "mature" fighter.
Joe DeMaria - Juan Diaz by Unanimous Decision
This is one of those fights where you just cannot go wrong. No matter how many times you play this fight out in your head, you come up with a slightly different outcome. Julio Diaz is the more versatile fighter who has the better one-punch power and can beat you by hurting you and knocking you out or by outboxing and outpointing you. Juan Diaz is the more active fighter who has better stamina and a style that can wear any fighter down and make him wilt. I think we will see Julio Diaz look to mix up his gameplan in there by initially trying to get the respect of the Baby Bull and then trying to outbox him. I just see Juan Diaz taking over a bit as the fight wears on and winning rounds on activity and workrate. I would not be surprised to see the Baby Bull hurt early in this fight, but I think he fights through it and begins to tire out Julio Diaz as he wins a close, hotly contested decision.
