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TMZSports.com
Boxing champ JoJo Diaz says he’s leaving Ryan Garcia in the rearview and focusing his attention squarely on Devin Haney … a boxer he tells TMZ Sports is a straight-up b*tch who he plans to hand his first loss.
28-year-old Diaz (32 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw) — the WBC interim lightweight champ — was scheduled to fight Garcia, but Ry pulled out with a hand injury, and JoJo is in no mood to wait — so he’s calling out 22-year-old Haney.
“I think [the hand injury] was just an excuse that [Garcia] wanted to make up in order for me not to fight him in November,” Diaz alleged.
JoJo continued… “I’m not gonna be waiting on Ryan Garcia to be giving the fight fans what they want and deserve. I’m pushing for the Devin Haney fight.”
Haney — the WBC lightweight champ who’s 26-0 with 15 knockouts — is considered one of the best young boxers in the world … but Diaz believes Devin’s been flapping his gums too much, and he wants to make him pay.
“At the end of the day, I’m really really pushing to get this Devin Haney fight. He’s been talking a lot of s**t too, and he’s a b***h just like Ryan Garcia was.”
JoJo tells us he’s very familiar with Haney’s work in the ring … and believes the young fighter has never really been pushed.
“Devin Haney is the type of fight that I want to fight because I know that I can beat him, I know that he’s an inexperienced fighter that hasn’t been tested, he’s only been tested once, got wobbled, and I feel like I’m the type of fighter who is gonna give him his first L,” Diaz says.
FYI, JoJo is referring to Haney’s fight with 36-year-old veteran boxer, Jorge Linares … who seemingly hurt Devin in the late rounds of their May 2021 fight. Haney ultimately recovered and won via unanimous decision.
Devin Haney got ROCKED but survived to defend the WBC Lightweight Title #HaneyLinares pic.twitter.com/s2UKzIgZv1
— CATCHWEIGHT Podcast (@catchweightpod) May 30, 2021
@catchweightpod
Diaz says the plan is to fight Haney at the beginning of December … and the fight is very close to being signed, sealed and delivered.
“Right now it’s looking about 80 to 90% done. Me and my team already got the contract already sent to us, so now we’re in negotiations and hopefully, we can lock in something by the end of this week.”
Now, if you had your heart set on JoJo and Ryan scrapping … all hope isn’t lost.
“Ryan Garcia, maybe later on down the line once I beat Devin Haney, could be a fight I’d be willing to negotiate and to talk about.”