Paul McCloskey Gets New Opponent: Chop Chop Corley Replaces Julio Diaz on May 5

Former European junior welterweight champion Paul McCloskey has a new opponent for his May 5 fight in Belfast, as Julio Diaz has been replaced due to weight issues. The new foe will be veteran DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, who probably has a better chance at winning even with his rather putrid recent record.

Sky Sports has this:

"Chop Chop is a former world champion and is coming off a great comeback win against an undefeated fighter," said DiBella.

"He is eager to take a shot at McCloskey. If McCloskey were to defeat DeMarcus though, and after Ajose Olusegun wins the title from Danny Garcia, an Olusegun-McCloskey match-up would certainly be very attractive for all fight fans, particularly those in the UK and Ireland."

DiBella fails to mention that Corley's win over Gabriel Bracero on January 21 was his first win in seven fights, and the 37-year-old veteran is just 2-8 in his last ten. But what that fails to mention is that Corley was close and competitive in losses to Marcos Maidana, Ruslan Provodnikov, Andre Gorges, and Fariz Kazimov.

The old dog still has some bite left, and given that McCloskey (23-1, 12 KO) is far from special, this could be a bit of a trap. Diaz really had no chance as he's truly shot. Corley (38-19-1, 22 KO) is well past his peak, but I hesitate to write him off. He's a tricky opponent up to a certain level still.

So I guess what I'm saying is, even with his recent record looking ugly, this is actually a better fight than what was scheduled before. You are also instructed to go and smack yourself in the thumb with a hammer if you're even a little bit surprised that Diaz has pulled out of this fight.