By Matt Lieberman: Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. asked Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Oscar De La Hoya, to let him fight next. Jojo Diaz is promoted by Golden Boy, making it an easy fight for them to make with Ryan.
With Ryan (21-0, 18 KOs) coming off a one-year layoff fueled by mental health issues and injuries, Golden Boy must pick the right fighter for him to face next.
It’s rumored that the former IBF super featherweight champion Jojo Diaz is the one that Golden Boy wanted all along for King Ry to fight, not Pitbull Cruz.
Suppose it’s true that Jojo is the one that Golden Boy has wanted all along for Ryan to fight next, which would explain why the negotiations with Pitbull Cruz fizzled out. In other words, it was just a game.
They didn’t want Pitbull anywhere near Ryan because the guy they wanted was the slow, light-hitting Jojo Diaz, who is nowhere near the threat that Cruz is.
If Golden Boy didn’t want Ryan to fight Cruz due to him being too dangerous, it’s not surprising the negotiations failed.
The way that De La Hoya revealed on social media that Pitbull Cruz’s head failed to accept the “lucrative offer” looks suspicious as if it was a move to give him cover in case Ryan got mad because he couldn’t make the fight.
It’s all a front and shame on the media who we’re pushing this dumb ass narrative. It all sounds good, knowing damn well it’s not happening. All of sudden watch how quickly this does a 360 and a new targeted opponent appears lol. https://t.co/G5fNxz4h1I
— Leonard Ellerbe (@LEllerbe) January 7, 2022
Interestingly, Ryan’s response to the fight offer not being accepted seemed one of relief, as if he was glad Pitbull Cruz didn’t agree to the fight.
Jojo Diaz’s one-sided 12 round unanimous decision loss to WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney last month on December 4th makes him a wrong candidate for Ryan’s next fight.
Haney dominated Jojo Diaz from start to finish, losing almost as bad as he did in his defeat to Gary Russell Jr. in 2018.
Put me in there wit Ryan next! @OscarDeLaHoya @GoldenBoyBoxing @RyanGarcia @makeawar @Micheladatime
— Joseph Diaz (@JosephDiazJr) January 7, 2022
Ryan, 23, was the one that accidentally started creating buzz about a fight with Isaac Cruz when he called him a “C-class fighter” in reacting to the Mexican native saying that he would be willing to fight him on his patio.
Diaz Jr (32-2-1, 15 KOs) likely has been paying attention to the news this week and noted that Ryan’s negotiations for his fight against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz have fallen through.
Now that Jojo Diaz has made it known that he wants Golden Boy Promotions to put him in there with Ryan Garcia, it’s very likely that’s exactly what they’ll do.
Depending on whether De La Hoya can restart the negotiations with the popular 23-year-old ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs), Golden Boy will need to go in another direction to find a suitable opponent for Ryan to fight in April.
