Pro boxer Joseph “JoJo” Diaz was arrested Monday in Los Angeles area for alleged child neglect, TMZ Sports reported Tuesday.
The former champion who fought Devin Haney back in 2021 was taken into custody by the Claremont Police Department. According to TMZ sources, he was booked on a charge of misdemeanor child neglect. However, the exact allegations against him have not been made public.
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Who is Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz?
Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, who is of Mexican descent, is the son of Joseph Diaz Snr. The American boxer’s full name is Joseph “JoJo” Pedroza Diaz Jr. He was born on November 23, 1992.
He attended Kranz Intermediate at the age of 12-14. He attended South El Monte High School.
Diaz made his professional debut in 2012 against Vincent Alfaro. He competed at the 2012 Olympics as a bantamweight. At regional level, he held the WBC-NABF, and WBO-NABO featherweight titles between 2015 and 2018. On January 30, 2020, Diaz defeated IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer by unanimous decision claiming his first world title.
He also held the IBF super featherweight title from 2020 to February 2021. He held the WBC interim lightweight title from July 2021 to December 2021.
In April last year, a lawsuit was filed by an unidentified plaintiff , accusing him of attempting to coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity. The lawsuit was submitted in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The suit alleged that Diaz shared “sexually graphic material” with the plaintiff via the social app Snapchat. At the time, the plaintiff was 17 .
The lawsuit also states Diaz formerly dated the plaintiff’s older sister.
“These frivolous allegations on behalf of an anonymous source have been brought by the attorney for Joseph Diaz’s former manager, Ralph Heredia, who Mr. Diaz is suing in federal court for stealing his money and violating his trust,” Diaz’s attorney, James Greeley of VGC LLP, told ESPN at the time. “Mr. Heredia and his counsel appear to be making a desperate attempt to gain leverage in that lawsuit by fabricating claims by a ‘Jane Doe’ as part of an ongoing effort to defame Mr. Diaz and derail his career. They will be made to answer for their actions. It should go without saying that Mr. Diaz staunchly denies these claims.”
