US fighter Juan Diaz added the IBF championship to his WBA and WBO lightweight titles when his unification fight with fellow Mexican-American Julio Diaz ended a second into the ninth round on Saturday.
The bout ended just as the bell to start the round rang. Julio Diaz's brother, Joel, a cornerman, told the referee to stop it, bringing a fight that Juan Diaz had dominated to a sudden conclusion.
Now, the only belt missing is the WBC title that belongs to David Diaz.
PHOTO: AP
Juan Diaz put together several solid combinations in the opening round and kept it going in the second. He landed a combo to the face with about a minute left, added a solid right and finished the round with another flurry.
Juan Diaz landed more combos to the head in the third, but his opponent remained standing which was no surprise. Juan Diaz only had 16 knockouts entering the fight.
That pattern continued throughout the fight. Juan Diaz would land a flurry, the crowd would roar and Julio Diaz (34-4) would remain standing.
By the end of the seventh round, Julio Diaz's left eye was swollen and he lasted one more round.
Judge Bill Lerch had Juan Diaz leading 77-75, but the other two weren't as close. Ted Gimza scored it 78-74 and Nelson Vazquez had it 79-73.
So what's next for Juan Diaz?
"We want [Manny] Pacquiao." promoter Don King said.
That hinges on whether Pacquiao moves up to 135lbs (61kg), and if he does, he might fight David Diaz instead.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported £400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported £400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported £900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically