Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Saturday, December 4 at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas
- Odds: Devin Haney (-500) vs. Joseph Diaz Jr. (+375) via Betonline
- Prediction: Haney via decision
WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney puts his title and perfect 26-0 record on the line against interim WBC champion Joseph Diaz, Jr., who sports a 32-1-1- record on December 4 in Las Vegas.
The 23-year-old Haney is among the current elite of the lightweight division. The Ring magazine has him ranked behind Teofimo Lopez, Vasiliy Lamachenko, and Ryan Garcia in the weight division. The 29-year-old Diaz checks in behind Haney and Richard Commey. Judging by the rankings, this is an incredibly important lightweight scrap.
Haney is coming off a May unanimous decision win over Jorge Linares. while Diaz’s most recent fight was a July unanimous decision victory over Javier Fortuna. Diaz’s sole loss came in 2018 when Gary Russell Jr., beat him via decision. Diaz is unbeaten in seven fights since that setback.
Check out the odds & predictions for Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr and be sure to look at the best boxing betting sites.
Haney vs Diaz Odds
Haney vs Diaz Prediction & Pick
Diaz moved up to lightweight for the Fortuna fight and the move up served him well. He looked stronger and faster and without the weight cut, he seemed to have more energy. With that extra gear, Diaz was able to extend his combinations into the impressive territory.
Haney, who has been compared to Floyd Mayweather Jr, learned how to work through adversity in his win over Linares after his opponent hurt him in the 10th round. That lesson should pay dividends going into the fight against the tough Diaz.
Haney is the more skilled boxer. He is an excellent defensive boxer. With that, expect “JoJo” Diaz to put as much pressure as possible on him as early as he can. I expect Diaz to come out with aggression and force Haney to fight off his back foot.
With his defensive skill, Haney should be able to avoid taking a great deal of damage from Diaz. The champion should also have the speed to score on the counter and chip away at Diaz over the course of the fight.
This fight, at least on paper, looks like a great matchup as both fighters are going up against their toughest opponents to date.
Who has the edge?
The odds for this fight are the closest to Haney’s career. He closed at -1000 against Linares in his most recent fight. Of his recent outings, Haney has only closed lower than -1000 once and that was when he was a -750 favorite over Mason Menard in 2018. Diaz has been favored in all of his fights since he was +230 underdog to Russell. As such, Diaz is facing the longest odds of his pro career against Haney.
Both of these men are extremely talented, but I feel that Haney, who is the younger fighter, has the bigger upside in this bout thanks to his speed and defensive skills.
Betting Value with Haney
Haney and Diaz both have 15 knockout wins on their records, but both have tended to go the distance as their level of opponent has increased. With that, I’m not expecting a stoppage in this contest. I see it going the distance with Haney taking the decision win.
Tale of the Tape: Haney vs. Diaz
| Devin Haney | Category | Joseph Diaz Jr. |
| 23 | Age | 29 |
| 26-0 | Record | 32-1-1 |
| 15 | Knockout Wins | 15 |
| 11 | Decision Wins | 17 |
| 0 | DQ | 0 |
| 5’8″ | Height | 5’6″ |
| 71″ | Reach | 64″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
What’s at Stake
The belief is that with a win, Haney will face Teofimo Lopez if Lopez gets by George Kambosos Jr on November 27. As for Diaz, with a win, he could book a fight against Ryan Garcia as they were scheduled to face off before a hand injury knocked Lopez out of that matchup.
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