07.05.04 – It’s boxing’s version of a Wild West shootout – the grizzled veteran, who has specialized in devouring less experienced foes en route to a world championship, against the young gunslinger with dreams of glory. On Thursday, May 13, International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Javier Jauregui defends the title he went through fire to win against rising star Julio Diaz in a 12-round battle that will prove who is the fastest (and toughest) gun in the 135-pound weight division.
This bout–the main event on an outstanding card presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Ringside Promotions By Sycuan–will be held at the San Diego Sports Arena and televised on HBO Latino’s hit series “Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro.”
In the semi-main event, Jhonny Gonzalez, coming off an upset win over Roger Gonzalez, meets former champion Alejandro Montiel.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. (Pacific) with the first bell bout at 6:30. The “Boxeo De Oro” telecast begins at 7.
Tickets, priced at $18, $28, $33, $53 and $128, are available through Ticketmaster or at the San Diego Sports Arena.
Jauregui (47-10-2, 34 KOs) has taken the road less traveled to a world championship. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the 30-year-old “Chatito” turned pro at the age of 14 and learned his craft the hard way, fighting men twice his age as he rose through the ranks.
Once Jauregui established his credentials as a fighter to watch, he moved on to meeting a “Who’s Who” of this era’s best boxers. From scoring two stoppage victories over former WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, to squaring off against the likes of World Boxing Association super featherweight champions Acelino Freitas and ex-WBC super featherweight champ Jesus Chavez, Jauregui is a fighter who’s more than earned the title “warrior.”
During November of 2003 Jauregui got his big break when he faced Levander Johnson for the vacant IBF lightweight championship. With a packed house at the Grand Olympic Auditorium screaming his name, Jauregui emphatically stopped Johnson in 11 rounds to win his first world championship.
Jauregui will have his hands full with the pride of Coachella, Calif., 24-year-old Julio Diaz (29-2, 22 KOs). A member of a fighting family which includes his brother Antonio, a former IBA junior welterweight champion, “The Kidd” has had high expectations placed on him since the first time he stepped into the pro ring during 1999 at the age of 19.
Diaz, “USA Today’s” “Prospect of the Year” for 2000, was 23-0 before he lost a highly disputed 12-round decision to Angel Manfredy during 2001. Two fights later, current junior welterweight contender Juan Valenzuela upset Diaz, and many wrote off the hard-hitting Coachella native.
But with the heart and desire of a champion, Diaz roared back, eager to prove the skeptics wrong. Since September of 2002 he’s won five bouts in a row, four by knockout, and has re-established himself as a legitimate lightweight contender. This was never more evident than in his most recent bout, on March 19, when he boxed beautifully against highly touted Courtney Burton, and then turned up the heat in the championship rounds, stopping Burton in the 11th round.
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