He traded with Haney in the pocket and won the exchanges, even though both landed clean shots.īut his moment didn’t last, and Haney took back control in the middle rounds. Diaz turned up the intensity in the second round and finished strong, but still didn’t throw consistently enough to steal the round.ĭiaz had by far his best round in the fourth, when he finally managed to close the distance. Haney (27-0, 15 knockouts) took control from the opening bell, establishing the distance with a clean jab and straight right hand that Diaz (32-2-1, 15 KOs) had no answers for. “He said he was going to bring the dog out of me,” Haney said. He got it Saturday night against JoJo Diaz Jr., using his slick boxing skills to retain his WBC lightweight title by unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 116-112) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. What he needed more than anything else, though, was a win. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) the spotlight on boxing’s lightweight division, Devin Haney wanted to deliver a standout performance. Jessica McCaskill, right, connects with a punch against Kandi Wyatt during the sixth round of a female welterweight title boxing bout in Las Vegas, Saturday, Dec.