Javier Fortuna vs. Joseph Diaz Jr. On Tap For July 9

Javier Fortuna has a new opponent and his name is Joseph Diaz Jr.

Fortuna is the mandatory WBC Lightweight Title challenger. He was expected to meet interim titleholder Ryan Garcia. That bout fell apart when Garcia pulled out of the fight to deal with some mental health issues.

Mike Coppinger of The Athletic is reporting that Diaz will serve as the replacement opponent. The two have agreed to a clash on July 9.

Sources: Joseph Diaz Jr. and Javier Fortuna have agreed to fight July 9 on DAZN at 135 pounds. This is a can’t miss action fight from Golden Boy. Diaz, who lost his 130-pound title at the scales in February, now taking on Fortuna after Ryan Garcia withdrew

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 12, 2021

“Sources: Joseph Diaz Jr. and Javier Fortuna have agreed to fight July 9 on DAZN at 135 pounds. This is a can’t miss action fight from Golden Boy. Diaz, who lost his 130-pound title at the scales in February, now taking on Fortuna after Ryan Garcia withdrew.”

As Coppinger mentioned, Diaz was stripped of the IBF Super-Featherweight Title ahead of his bout with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. This was due to Diaz’s failure to make the agreed-upon weight for the fight. There’s no word on whether or not the move is permanent for Diaz but one would have to think that a win would keep Diaz around at lightweight for the foreseeable future.

Fortuna was last seen in action back in November 2020. He knocked out Antonio Lozada Jr. in the sixth round.