ESPN+ to Stream Diaz-Ito and Adames-Reyes Live at 9:30 p.m. ET
Kissimmee, Fla. (June 11, 2018) — Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz wants to add his name to the storied list of Puerto Rican world champions. He will get that chance July 28 at the Kissimmee Civic Center, when he squares off against Masayuki Ito for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight title.
And, in the 10-round co-feature, undefeated welterweight prospect Carlos “Caballo Bronco” Adames will face Artemio Reyes of San Bernardino, Calif.
Diaz-Ito and Adames-Reyes will stream live and exclusively in the United States at 9:30 ET on ESPN+ — the recently-launched multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. Undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. ESPN+ is available to all fans on the ESPN App and ESPN.com.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with All Star Boxing and Teiken Promotions, tickets to this world championship event will go on sale Tuesday, June 12 at 10 a.m. ET. Priced at $100 (red carpet ringside), $50 (lower bowl), and $30 (general admission), tickets may be purchased at the Kissimmee Civic Center box office, online at ticketerapr.com, or charge by phone at (787) 305-3600.
“This fight is dedicated to all of Puerto Rico and to my family that has always been there to support me,” Diaz said. “Now it’s my time to become a world champion, and I promise that I will bring home the world title. I love you, Puerto Rico. This one’s for you!”
“I am really pleased to be able to fight a great fighter like Christopher Diaz for the WBO title. Diaz is a very good fighter with power and speed, but on July 28, I will become the champion,” Ito said. “I will bring the belt home back to Japan without fail. I have promised my wife and children. I will fight as if my life depended on it.”
“I am happy and excited to return to the ring quickly because I want to keep as active as possible. This will be my second fight with Top Rank, and now I will return to the ring much better prepared because I have the experience and the confidence of fighting on big stages,” Adames said. “I will come ready to give the public what they always expect from me… a spectacular knockout! On July 28, ‘Caballo Bronco’ will come to Kissimmee with all the ‘Platano Power’ from the Dominican Republic.”
Diaz (23-0, 15 KOs), from Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, is entering his first world title match riding a four-bout knockout streak. The WBO’s No. 1 junior lightweight contender, Diaz won the vacant NABO junior lightweight title last December with a third-round knockout of Bryant Cruz, knocking Cruz down five times en route to the stoppage. In his last bout, March 17 on the Jose Ramirez-Amir Imam undercard at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Diaz defeated Braulio Rodriguez via fourth-round TKO to earn the shot at the world title. For Diaz, this world title opportunity is beacon of hope, as his home and most of his possessions were destroyed when Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico last year.
Ito (23-1-1, 12 KOs), from Tokyo, is the WBO’s No. 2 junior lightweight contender. He has won seven consecutive bouts since the lone defeat of his career, a 10-round majority decision to then-undefeated Rikki Naito in February 2015. Ito, who has fought all of his professional bouts in Japan, has won four of his past five bouts via knockout, including a ninth-round stoppage of Lorenzo Villanueva in April of last year. In his last bout, on March 3 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Ito stopped Vergil Puton in the ninth round.
Adames (14-0, 11 KOs), one of the welterweight division’s fastest rising contenders, made his Top Rank debut as the ESPN-televised co-feature May 12 on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jorge Linares card, rolling to a unanimous decision win over Alejandro Barrera. The Dominican Republic native will be fighting for the second time under renowned trainer Joel Diaz and is training in Palm Springs, Calif. Reyes (25-2, 20 KOs) is 10-0 with eight knockouts since his last defeat, a first-round TKO at the hands of Alan Sanchez on April 13, 2012 in Las Vegas. In his previous bout, in August of last year, Reyes knocked out Steve Marquez with a body shot in the fourth round.
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About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusive, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to boxing content, fans can watch thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. This includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA Tour golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
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Weightclass: Featherweight
26wins
4losses
0draws
16kos
Weightclass: Junior Lightweight
23wins
2losses
1draws
12kos
"I believe in myself. I knew I was going to become a world champion and that is exactly what happened. Since the beginning of the fight I knew I had more power and I dropped him. In my mind I kept saying that it was a close fight and that is why I kept going for the knockout."
Masayuki Ito"I knew that this was going to be a good fight and I respect Diaz for coming ready to fight. He is a warrior. This is a dream come true for me. Now I want bigger fights."
Masayuki Ito"This does not end here. I am going to return with more strength and with more hunger. I have a promise to fulfill. I am going to be a world champion. I promise you that."
Christopher Diaz"Even though I came in as a last minute replacement, I told you guys I was ready. I was in camp working hard and helping Robert Easter Jr. for his fight. This felt like a sparring session to me. I feel great! I'm hungry! I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible. Thanks to Top Rank for the opportunity."
Gabriel Bracero"This fight really helped me a lot. I needed a fight like this where I could display all my boxing skills. On this fight, I worked on my striking, power punching, footwork, lateral movement and at the end I got the knockout."
Henry Lebron"I want Conlan. That is the plan and he is the main reason why I signed with Top Rank. I want to fight him as a pro. The judges won't be necessary this time around."
Vladimir Nikitin"This was my first professional fight, but it was also my first fight in a year. I took a long break from boxing. I was just relaxing for a whole year and that is why this was a great experience for me. I was in control and dropped my opponent a couple of time, but we went the distance. I needed to get this good rounds of work."
Vladimir Nikitin"This fight is dedicated to all of Puerto Rico and to my family that has always been there to support me. Now it's my time to become a world champion, and I promise that I will bring home the world title. I love you, Puerto Rico. This one's for you!"
"We are only one step away, there are only five weeks left. I have worked for 15 years of my life for this moment. I have a lot of focus, a lot of discipline and I have an immense desire to be someone in life."
On Fighting For His First World Title - "I worked hard for this. This is my moment, and nobody is going to take away from me what I know is mine. That vacant title has a first name and last name on it. That name is Christopher Diaz."
About Fighting in Kissimmee, Fla. - "I'm super happy and excited about returning to fight in Kissimmee. Here, I feel like I'm at home. I come ready to give my fans a great fight."
"In this fight, there are no excuses, this is win or win fight for me. I have prepared myself throughout my career for this moment, the time has come and now it is a matter of performing and knowing how to do things inside the ring. If I make a mistake in the ring, my family will pay for it and I will not let that happen."
"Puerto Rico will have a new world champion on July 28. And I will not only be the best 130 pounds fighter of Puerto Rico, I will be the best 130 pounds fighter in the world."
"I have the motivation of my daughter, my twins who are on their way, my wife, my mother, my brothers, I have a family that follows me wherever I go, I leave it all in the ring for them. Everything I do is for them."
"It's time to show the world what I'm made of. Being able to fight for a world title is the dream of every boxer."
"I am prepared for my first chance to win a world title because I've been through many years of sacrifices, and I have waited all my life for this moment. Now the moment is here. I'm hungry and focused. On July 28, Puerto Rico will have a new world champion."
"I have a tough fight against Masayuki Ito, but I am very focused. I know I have all of Puerto Rico in my corner. Without the support of my people, none of this would be possible. Thank you for always supporting me and sending me positive vibes. On July 28, my mission will be to bring the world title to the island."
"I never expected to be at this point in my career. I had my pro debut in 2013, and I didn't even know that I was going to get to 10-0, 20-0. And I never expected to be fighting for a world title. But my hard work every day, my anger, my passion for this sport, made me be here for this opportunity. I think nobody is going to take that out of me, and I feel so good. It's a moment. It's one more fight. I know Ito is a great fighter. I've been working for 15 years to now for this opportunity."
"{My fans} know that I always make a war. I know Masayuki Ito is going to come to give me a war. That's the kind of fight that I want for the fans."
Christopher Diaz“I am really pleased to be able to fight a great fighter like Christopher Diaz for the WBO title. Diaz is a very good fighter with power and speed, but on July 28, I will become the champion. I will bring the belt home back to Japan without fail. I have promised my wife and children. I will fight as if my life depended on it.”
On Fighting Outside of Japan - "I do not care about where I'll be fighting. Inside the ring, it will only be him, me, and the referee. Nobody else."
On What He Expects from Diaz - "I'm ready for a war. I'm here to win round by round. I'm ready for a toe to toe fight. I'm going for the knockout. I'm taking the title with me to Japan."
"Thanks for giving me the opportunity to fight here. Also, I appreciate Top Rank, All Star Boxing, and Teiken Promotions. I did not have enough English training, but I did have hard training in boxing every day. I promise I'll show a very good fight on Saturday night."
Masayuki Ito"I was getting ready to fight a powerful guy like {Carlos} Adames, but I'm ready to fight anyone. Bracero is a good fighter. He doesn't have as much power as Adames, but you can't get overconfident with a pro fighter. Any pro fighter is a dangerous fighter."
"You can expect to see a good fight. First of all, I want to thank Bob Arum and Top Rank for giving me the opportunity. My team, we worked hard for this camp. {Everyone} is going to see a good show. We trained hard for this fight. I know {Bracero} is a tough fighter. These short-notice opponents are always the toughest because we were studying for one style and now they're coming with a different style. But, nonetheless, we're ready to go, and we're ready to go for 10 rounds and put on a great show."
"I'm willing and able to fight anybody who is willing to step in the ring with me. I'm going to go out there and get the victory."
Artemio Reyes"I got the call for this fight on short notice, but I see this opportunity as a blessing. I'm always in the gym. I'm always in shape. I was helping {IBF lightweight champion} Robert Easter Jr. for his next fight. I'm ready to fight. I know he is a power puncher and has a lot of knockouts, but he hasn't faced anyone as experienced as me."
"I want to thank everyone at Top Rank for giving me the opportunity. It was a last-minute call. I took the fight on maybe seven, eight days' notice. But the good part about it was, I was just in training camp. I've been in training camp for the past six weeks. I was Robert Easter's main sparring partner for his fight against Mikey Garcia... and I was also sparring with Devon Alexander for his fight against {Andre} Berto. So, when I got this call at the last minute, I was all in. I was ready for it. I look forward to putting on a performance here in Kissimmee. I have a lot of friends and family here."
Gabriel Bracero"I am happy and excited to return to the ring quickly because I want to keep as active as possible. This will be my second fight with Top Rank, and now I will return to the ring much better prepared because I have the experience and the confidence of fighting on big stages. I will come ready to give the public what they always expect from me... a spectacular knockout! On July 28, 'Caballo Bronco' will come to Kissimmee with all the 'Platano Power' from the Dominican Republic."
Carlos Adames"The training camp has been excellent, the sparring sessions are very important for this fight and we have the sparring partners that are perfect for Christopher. On July 28 we will be ready and in excellent condition."
Raul "Chino" Rivas - Trainer for Diaz"I had a very tough training camp. I'm looking for the knockout and to show what I can do. I'm looking forward to fighting for a world title."
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