Leading up to tonight’s bout, Joel Diaz Jr. admitted to not knowing much about his opponent, thirty-one-year-old Abraham Gomez from Guadalajara, Mexico. Whether or not a little research would have improved his performance turned out to be irrelevant as Diaz Jr. demolished the overmatched journeyman inside of two rounds.Very little served as a surprise throughout the match, with the 23-year-old Palmdale, California native dominating every exchange. By the middle of the first stanza, Diaz Jr. seemed to have decided that he could absorb Gomez’s best shots and threw all caution, and new trainer Chris Byrd’s orders to keep his hands up, to the wind
The second round turned into a showcase for the young fighter but lapses in his defense, a self-professed weakness of his, re-emerged and Gomez landed a few decent shots.
Halfway through the round, a flash knockdown sent Gomez to the canvas and the referee waived it off at the 1:45 mark.
While speaking with Diaz Jr. earlier in the week, he admitted that he has a lot to work on with Byrd, especially in the defensive department. That said, he is excited about his career prospects with Jean Pascal and Lou Dibella leading his promotional charge
A minor title opportunity seems to be in the pipeline and, looking further into the future, he already has his sights set on the biggest names in the lightweight division. When asked about his future, the young Californian smiled and said, “Felix Verdejo, I’m coming for you.”
