Olympic Boxing: Joseph Diaz Jr vs Pavlo Ishchenko

by Gautham Nagesh

U.S. bantamweight Joseph Diaz Jr. delivered an entertaining win over Ukraine’s Pavlo Ishchenko in the first boxing match of the 2012 London Olympics.

Diaz Jr. showed good combination punching to the body, but the southpaw didn’t take advantage enough of his opponent’s tendency to cover up at times in the first round. Diaz turned it up in the second, digging in to the body hard and landing some shots upstairs as well. Ishchenko is awkward and throws wide punches, which tend to leave him out of position. The Ukrainian was clearly out-worked through the first two rounds.

[[MORE]]The third round saw Diaz Jr. take control and begin splitting his opponent’s guard with the straight left hand. Diaz is a precise puncher and his commitment to body shots paid off in the third. The clean right hooks to Ishchenko’s midsection took away his legs, leaving him open for Diaz to rain down combinations. The judges fortunately saw the fight clearly and scored it for the American 19-9.

Diaz faces Cuban favorite Lazaro Alvarez in the next round, a tall order for the 19-year-old from California. The winner would have a clear path to the gold medal bout.

“He’s a really great fighter. He knows how to box on the outside,” Diaz said of Alvarez, who knocked him out of the World Championships. “I have a really great gameplan right here, and I’m ready for him on Wednesday.”

Diaz was the first American to qualify the London Olympics. With the win, he also became the first to advance to the second round.