CARSON, Calif. – Rey Diaz enjoyed a successful U.S. debut while barely preserving his unblemished record.
Fans began to file in as the 21-year-old Diaz was forced to survive a knockdown in the 4th and final round to outpoint Compton’s Sergio Gonzalez in their lightweight contest. Judges Jerry Cantu (38-37), Carla Caiz (38-37) and Dr. Lou Moret (38-37) were unanimous in awarding North Las Vegas’ Diaz the win Saturday afternoon at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Gonzalez (3-5, 2KOs) entered the fight well intentioned, testing the heart of Diaz in the opening round. Both fighters had success with their left hooks, with Diaz getting through more often though managing to get tagged enough to make a defensive adjustment.
Diaz remained a step ahead the rest of the way, drawing in Gonzalez and then countering him with right hands and left hooks. The unbeaten prospect—who fought exclusively in Mexico prior to Saturday—worked his jab, which proved to bail him out of a near-disastrous 4th and final round.
Action worked its way to a neutral corner, where Gonzalez was able to crack Diaz clean across the chin to produce the bout’s lone knockdown. Diaz beat the count but subsequently initiated several clinches in his best effort to clear his head. Gonzalez sought to close the show but Diaz survived the onslaught and jabbed his way to the finish line in advancing to 5-0 (2KOs).
The bout served as the curtain raiser of a four-fight non-televised undercard preceding the Showtime televised tripleheader.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox