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          JoJo Diaz misses weight, stripped of belt before title fight with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 12, 2021, 10:15 PM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          Hopefully JoJo Diaz enjoyed holding his IBF junior lightweight belt at the weigh-in for Saturday's fight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. It was the last time he'll have it for a while.

          Diaz was stripped of the title after he failed to make weight on Friday. Diaz weighed 133.6 pounds, well over the division's 130-pound limit. Rakhimov came in at 129.8 pounds.

          Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs) can take the belt with a victory in Indio, California. If Diaz (31-1, 15 KOs) wins, the IBF title will become vacant because of the weight penalty.

          Diaz will also be fined $100,000 for missing weight, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi. That amount, which represents 20% of his purse, will be split evenly between Rakhimov and the California State Athletic Commission.

          The bout can still take place because the weight difference between the two men is less than seven pounds, which is in accordance with CSAC bylaws.

          This weekend's bout was scheduled to be Diaz's first title defense after he won the belt in a victory against Tevin Farmer in January 2020. According to boxrec.com, Diaz has never weighed more than 130 pounds for any of his previous bouts.