Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (30-1, 15 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif. defending his WBA Gold Super Featherweight Title with a majority decision win against Venezuelan contender Jesus “Escopeta” Cuadro (18-5, 14 KOs) in the main event of the Sept. 21 edition of Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch at
The Auditorio del Estado in Mexicali, Mexico. Diaz Jr. won with scores of 116-112 and 115-113, while one judge had it a 114-114 draw. The fight was streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page
“This was my first time fighting in Mexicali, and I want to thank everyone for the support,” said Joseph Diaz Jr. “This was a good test and a warmup for the next one. I hurt my left hand early in the fight by hitting Cuadro in the elbow. That’s why I didn’t want to take too many risks and make things worse. Either way, I still showed that I’m a fighter who can box, attack and defend. Now, I want Tevin Farmer. Let’s get the show on the road. Whether in November or December, let’s do it.”
“I think a draw would have been valid,” said Jesus Cuadro. “Diaz Jr. is strong, hits hard and fights really well at half distance. But I landed a lot of punches as well and he decreased his output for a bit in the fight. It was a very close fight.”
In the co-main event, a local star was born as Leonardo “Leon” Baez (16-2, 9 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico recovered from a first-round knockdown to defend his NABA Super Bantamweight Title against Edixon Perez (19-4, 14 KOs) of Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela via 10-round unanimous decision. Baez retained his titles with scores of 97-83, 96-92 and 96-92.
“He was a very strong opponent, but we prepared well,” said Leonardo Baez. “I felt I landed the stronger and cleaner punches, which is why I got the victory. I couldn’t breathe after I got the cut, but I was able to continue due to my toughness.”
Jan “Nito” Salvatierra (3-0, 1 KO) of Los Cabos, Mexico scored a dominant four-round unanimous decision win against Juan Borja (0-2) of La Paz, Mexico in a flyweight battle. Salvatierra won with three scores of 40-36.
“It was a clear victory,” said Jan Salvatierra. “There are some things I have to work on. I need to pressure more and throw combinations. But overall it was a good victory.”
Angel Beltran (5-0, 4 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico defeated Dilan Loza (15-3, 9 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico via eight-round unanimous decision in a super welterweight fight. Beltran won with three scores of 77-75.
“I feel I did well. I was boxing in this fight,” said Angel Beltran. “I did not fall into his game plan of brawling. I did brawl in certain moments, but I landed the better shots when we exchanged. My plans right now are to keep training hard for the next opportunity that may come.”
Diaz Jr. vs. Cuadro was a 12-round fight for the WBA Gold Super Featherweight Title presented by Golden Boy. The event was sponsored by Tecate “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING.” The event took place on Saturday, Sept. 21 at The Auditorio del Estado in Mexicali, Mexico. The fights were streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page.
