One day after Twitter’s Boog WIlliams broke the news, ProBox TV’s Garry Jonas confirmed that former champions Nicholas Walters and Joseph Diaz Jr will headline an October 9th event in Plant City, Florida.
“Axe Man” Walters’ (29-1-1, 22 KO) first major fight since his humiliating 2016 loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko saw him box his way past Joseph Adorno in April. Beating “Blessed Hands” in the Year of Our Lord 2024 isn’t a particularly noteworthy accomplishment, but he was unquestionably in solid form for a 38-year-old whose career peak came in the Obama administration.
Despite being seven years younger, Diaz (33-6-1, 15 KO) is likely the more shopworn of the two. He’s 1-5 in his last six, at one point weighing in at 147 for a fight scheduled for 135. His last effort was his most worrying, as a super lightweight bid saw him brutalized by Oscar Duarte for his first-ever stoppage loss.
He’ll be back at 135 for this one, which is probably still at least one weight class too high considering his lack of range and power. Per Jonas, he’ll be in rehab for alcohol addiction whenever he’s not in the gym, an issue he’s been open about in the past.
Frankly, I think it’s too late for his career. He’s had more second chances than 99% of fighters could reasonably ask for and squandered them all.