Diaz vs Perez Prediction: A Drubbing By Diaz

Although the eyes of the combat sports world are set on Anaheim, California for some UFC 298 action, this Diaz vs Perez prediction makes it clear that fans should also be excited about the Golden Boy Fight Night that will be taking place in another California city. 

While each of these main event fighters have seen their fair share of defeats, both boxers always step into the ring looking to put on a show for the fans in attendance and those watching at home. Therefore, this 140 pound main event between Joseph Diaz and Jesus Perez should not be lacking in excitement. 

Our Diaz vs Perez Prediction: A Ten Round Drubbing By Diaz

In this Golden Boy bout between Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz and Jesus Perez, each fighter will be looking rebound from recent adversity — and are keen to get back to their winning ways. 

That being said, neither of these fighters are known for their punching power. And considering that 2023 wasn’t a great year for either guy, their first and foremost focus will be on securing the victory on Thursday night, by any means necessary. 

For that reason, we’re predicting Diaz to defeat Perez by decision. And here’s why:

Diaz Has Faced The World’s Best

While Diaz and Perez have a similar amount of professional fighting experience, there’s no question that Diaz has gone toe to toe against superior opponents. 

Take, for example, Diaz’s December 2021 bout against Devin Haney — who is one of the world’s pound for pound best boxers. While Diaz didn’t get the decision victory in this fight and was thoroughly outboxed, he did manage to make it to the final bell against a world-class fighter. That certainly counts for something. 

Perez is on a Losing Skid

Jesus Antonio Perez has not only lost his two most recent fights (and three of his last four bouts), but his most recent victory came way back in 2019. That is an extremely long time for a professional fighter to go without getting their hand raised. 

Surely Perez is feeling the pressure, and can’t be feeling too confident leading up to this bout against Diaz. 

Perez is Dropping a Weight Class

Perez’s last bout was at 147 pounds — and this fight is at 140. While this might end up being an advantage for him, we have a feeling that this upcoming weight cut might drain Perez, and make him lethargic when in the ring on Thursday.

Considering that Diaz is most likely already going to be the faster, more technically sound boxer, this doesn’t bode well for Perez.

Best Betting Odds and Strategy for Diaz vs Perez

Based on these Diaz vs Perez predictions we have made leading up to Thursday’s fight, here are the best bets you should consider for this Golden Boy Promotions fight:

• Diaz to Win: Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz is highly favored in this fight. Quite frankly, we feel that Diaz should be even more of a favorite than that. Considering the aforementioned confidence issues that we imagine Perez is dealing with, taking Diaz to win is a wise bet to make.
• Diaz to Win by Decision: As we said before, neither of these fighters is known for their punching power. Diaz has 15 KO’s on his 33-win professional record — but only one such win since 2018. Diaz needs a win, and won’t be willing to put himself in danger to secure a KO. 
• Fight to go to Decision: While there is a world where Diaz ends up getting a KO victory, we don’t believe that’s what we’ll see on Thursday night. ‘JoJo’ should be content to assert his superior skill throughout the evening, and cruise to a decision victory. And we would be absolutely shocked if Perez was to secure a KO.

Latest Diaz vs Perez Odds

• Diaz to Win @ -700
• Diaz to Win by Decision @ –225
• Fight to go to Decision @ -380

Full Diaz vs Perez Preview

Now that you know about our predictions for this fight, let’s get into a breakdown for both of these main event fighters, and how they match up against one another.

Joseph Diaz — Eager to Start a Streak

Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz (33-4-1) managed to get his hand raised in his last fight, after a tough stretch of three losses that started with the aforementioned defeat to Devin Haney, and ended with a split decision loss against Mercito Gesta. 

Yet, with a win against Perez on Thursday, Diaz will be able to start a new winning streak — and get back on track to becoming an elite fighter in his division.

Diaz is a southpaw fighter that isn’t afraid to bite down on his gum shield, walk forward, and exchange heavy punches with his opponent.

And considering that he’ll likely have the power advantage over Perez on Thursday — and his chin has been impressively resistant to cracking across his career — we expect that Diaz will bring a similar game plan into this bout. 

While this might mean a KO victory for Diaz, we instead expect that he’ll try to display an improved defensive mindset, and point fight his way to a victory. 

Jesus Perez — Desperate For a Win

Jesus ‘Ricky’ Perez (24-5-0) has seen his fair share of adversity in the boxing ring. Yet, even though he hasn’t won a fight in years, he did show a lot of grit during his October 2022 defeat against Alexis Rocha. 

Perez is another boxer who is more than content to stand in the pocket and trade punches. However, this usually comes at the cost of head movement; which is why Perez — still just 26 years old — has taken a lot of damage across his professional career. 

While we don’t expect this to change much during Thursday’s fight, the fact that neither of these boxers are known for their defensive ability should make for a fan-friendly affair. 

Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Fight Promotions team knew what they were doing when pitting Diaz and Perez against each other for this main event fight. Hopefully for both the promotion and the fan’s sake, this fight delivers the excitement that we know it can produce.