Joseph Diaz Jr. vs Richard Medina Preview October 21st, 2023
Former IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz Jr of Downey, California returns to the ring this Saturday, October 21st, when he takes on Richard Medina of San Antonio, Texas. The 10-round lightweight tilt from Inglewood, California can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Diaz beat Jerry Perez by a 10 round unanimous decision in July in his last outing to snap a three-fight losing skid. Before that he dropped a 10-round split decision to Mercito Gesta, a 12-round unanimous decision to William Zepeda and a 12-round unanimous decision to Devin Haney in a shot at the WBC Lightweight Title. Medina last fought in May when he beat Juan Antonio Lopez by an eight-round unanimous decision.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Diaz Jr. vs Medina Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Richard Medina +275
- Joseph Diaz Jr -375
My Pick
The 30-year-old southpaw Diaz Jr. lost his first world title shot when he dropped a unanimous decision to WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr. in May, 2018. He then beat WBA Titleholder Jesus Rojas by unanimous decision three months later but came in overweight for the fight and wasn’t able to win the belt. It was third time lucky for him though when he beat Tevin Farmer for the IBF Super Featherweight Title via unanimous decision in 2020.
He then lost the belt when he failed to make weight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February, 2021 and ended up fighting to a 12-round draw with him. In his following fight he won the WBC interim belt with a unanimous decision over Javier Fortuna but lost it against Devin Haney and was then beaten by Zepeda and Gesta before rebounding with the win over Perez in his last outing to bring his pro record to 33-4-1 with 15 Ko’s. As an amateur, Diaz was a member of the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team at the 2012 Games in London, England where he went 1-1 as a bantamweight. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Amateur Championships.
Diaz turned pro in December, 2012 and has fought 295 rounds since. He has average power at best in his fists with 45.5 per cent of his wins coming by way of stoppage and and has gone the distance in 11 of his last 12 fights. He stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 64-inch inch and has also captured the NABF and WBO-NABO Featherweight Titles and the WBA Gold Super Featherweight Crown. He also has wins over Jesus Cuadro, Freddy Fonseca, Victor Terrazas, Rafael Rivera, Manuel Avila, Horacio Garcia, Jayson Velez, Hugo Partida, Rene Alvarado, Roberto Castaneda and Ruben Tamayo.
The 23-year-old Medina makes the ring walk with a mark of 15-1 with 8 Ko’s. He measures 5-feet-6-inches tall and unfortunately has an unlisted reach which puts him at the same height as Diaz. He also has a little more power in his punches as his current knockout ratio stands at 53.3 per cent but has gone the distance in seven of his past nine outings. His lone pro loss came to Raymond Ford by way of a 10-round unanimous decision in June, 2022 in a shot at the vacant IBF North American Featherweight Title.
Medina made his pro debut in 2018 following an amateur career which saw him reach the quarterfinals of the 2018 USA Western Regional Youth Open and the 2017 USA Youth National Championships as well as the semifinals of the 2017 USA Youth Open Tournament which he lost to Keyshawn Davis. He also made it to the semifinals of the 2016 USA Jr Olympics and won the 2016 USA Jr Open Final.
Medina will be taking a big step up in class this weekend against Diaz however as his best wins have been against the likes of Jose Cobos Moran, Omar Castillo, Rafael Reyes and Armando Frausto and half of his 16 opponents have entered the ring with winning records.
Prediction…
Diaz appeared to get his career back on track with his win over Perez in July after suffering three straight defeats. He’s not a huge favorite at our recommended betting site. He’s still won only two of his last six fights though with the three defeats and a draw. He’s taking on a fine young prospect here who’s moving up to the lightweight division to test his skills and power while Diaz is moving back down to 135 lbs after weighing 141.5 lb in his last bout. Diaz definitely can’t afford to take Medina lightly as an upset is certainly a possibility here. Diaz has greater experience and is used to the weight but I can see this fight going either way really.
Diaz’s experience should be the difference.
Play: Diaz Jr -375 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Joseph Diaz Jr. betting • Richard Medina betting