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Juan Diaz vs Omar Figueroa fight targeted for later this year

Rising lightweight prospect Omar Figueroa could face veteran and former titlist Juan Diaz later this year in an all-Texas bout in Diaz's hometown of Houston.

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Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

According to a report at BoxingScene.com, there is a plan in place right now to pit Omar Figueroa against Juan Diaz later this year in Houston, two Texas lightweights potentially meeting in a crossroads bout.

Figueroa (21-0-1, 17 KO) manhandled Abner Cotto last night in San Antonio, putting him down twice, the second time keeping him on the canvas with a body shot. The fight lasted just two minutes, 57 seconds, and was a real statement fight by Figueroa, whose offensive blitz was simply too much for Cotto (16-1, 7 KO) to handle.

Diaz (36-4, 18 KO) returned to the ring last weekend, beating Pipino Cuevas Jr easily in Corpus Christi. It was the first fight since 2010 for the 29-year-old Diaz, and relatively speaking, he looked pretty sharp against an opponent who didn't want much to do with him. He was able to let his hands go with no problem, and didn't show major signs of rust or erosion.

The plan, according to the report, is to have the pair of them fight in separate bouts on the same card, and if they're victorious, match them up after that. It may or may not come to fruition, but if it does, it could be a firecracker of a fight.

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