JoJo Diaz vs William Zepeda set for November 5 on DAZN

JoJo Diaz will return to the ring on Nov. 5, facing William Zepeda in a lightweight main event on DAZN.

The fight was officially announced tonight during Golden Boy’s Ortiz vs McKinson show on the platform.

Diaz (32-2-1, 15 KO) hasn’t fought since December of last year, when he lost to Devin Haney in a WBC title fight. That came after a win in the summer of Javier Fortuna, making two fights where Ryan Garcia was scheduled — first against Fortuna, then against Diaz — that wound up being something different.

The 29-year-old Diaz was talking about moving back down to 130, where he briefly held a world title, and fighting Jono Carroll this summer, but that didn’t happen. He’s also been calling out the aforementioned Garcia, but that’s now not an option with this announcement, at least for the November date.

Zepeda (26-0, 23 KO) made some waves when he dominated a then-unbeaten Hector Tanajara Jr in July 2021 on the Diaz-Fortuna undercard, and has won three straight, but he had plenty of trouble last time out with the gritty Rene Alvarado, getting the scores in the end.

It’s a good matchup, good fight for both guys. The 26-year-old Zepeda’s a natural 135 and will have notable height and reach advantages, but Diaz has the better overall track record and is still in his prime years, too. On paper, it makes for an entertaining scrap, too.