JoJo Diaz combines training with rehab as he prepares for Nicholas Walters clash

Two former world titlists looking for one last shot at the brass ring will clash when Joseph “JoJo” Diaz and Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters meet in a lightweight contest at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida on October 9. 

It’s a notable matchup between two men who have fallen far from the heights they once enjoyed. Ten years ago, Walters, 29-1-1 (22 KOs), was a feared featherweight, knocking out Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire in the space of a few months before setting up a 2016 meeting with Vasiliy Lomachenko, at that time at the peak of his otherworldly powers. But that fight, for Lomachenko’s 130 pound belt, went about as badly as it could have done for the Jamaican. Consistently beaten to the punch by the two-time Olympic gold medalist and unable to land anything meaningful in return, Walters quit on his stool after round seven. Never mind that he would prove to be just the first of four opponents in a row to capitulate to the Ukrainian master; it was a humiliating night for Walters, who promptly disappeared from view for seven years.

He reemerged in 2023 at age 36 with a pair of wins in scheduled eight-rounders, before looking impressive in a 10-round win over Joseph Adorno at the ProBox TV Events Center on March 27.

Diaz (33-6-1, 15 KOs) fell short in his first world title tilt, dropping a unanimous decision to WBC featherweight titlist Gary Russell, Jr in May 2018 before snatching a 130 pound belt from Tevin Farmer in January 2020. But that would be the high point of Diaz’s career: he was stripped of the belt for coming in overweight for his first defense, against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, which ended in a draw; after defeating Javier Fortuna next time out to move his record to 32-1-1, he entered a tailspin, winning just one of his six contests since then.

And while some of those reverses are excusable – there is no shame in dropping  decisions to Devin Haney or William Zepeda, as Diaz did in December 2021 and October 2022 respectively, while Mercito Gesta, who outpointed Diaz in March 2023, was always a tough and awkward proposition.

But a loss to 24-5 Jesus Perez in a brawl was harder to take; and his most recent outing, at junior welterweight against Oscar Duarte, saw him stopped for the first time.

Diaz’s reversal of fortunes in the ring coincided with struggles outside the ropes, and culminated, following the Duarte loss, with the Californian checking into rehab for alcohol abuse.

He is in rehab still, and will remain there right up until the fight , seeking treatment at the White Sands Alcohol and Drug Rehab Center in Florida – which is just a few steps away from the ProBox TV Events Center.

Garry Jonas, who owns both facilities (as well as BoxingScene), is full of praise for what Diaz is doing. 

“When we started talking about this fight, JoJo told me he was in treatment, and I said, ‘Good for you,’” Jonas told BoxingScene. “It wasn’t like he was in a bad way, but JoJo realized that he needed to reinforce his sobriety and stay on that track.  So I said, ‘Well, you know, White Sands Treatment Center is 50 yards away from ProBoxTV. Why don’t you come and stay in treatment all the way up to the fight?’ He can walk 50 yards over to the gym and train as much as he wants, and otherwise he’ll be sequestered. He’ll be eating great. His mind will be right. He’s going to be getting therapy the whole time. He may feel like a million dollars by the time he walks into the ring that night from his room in treatment. But it’s intriguing, because we don’t know what we’re going to get. Jojo could have done so much damage to himself that nothing he’s going to do will help. Or he could find this to be a silver bullet. We know Nicholas Walters is going to be very well prepared. He looked great against Joseph Adorno. I think it’s intriguing.

“Regardless, whatever happens that night, Jojo Diaz is continuing to make his sobriety a priority, and that’s the most important thing for his life beyond boxing.”