Diaz vs Malignaggi Rematch

Diaz vs Malignaggi Rematch UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL December 12, 2009 Saturday 2:30 PM

Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi, who slugged it out in a controversial unanimous decision win for Diaz in August, will meet again in a junior welterweight rematch. This time, the fighters will meet on neutral territory with the 12-rounder scheduled for Dec. 12 (HBO) at the UIC Pavilion on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

In their first fight, Diaz claimed the decision in his hometown of Houston, where many believed he was the recipient of a little home cookin'. So the promoters settled on Chicago, where they hope to draw from the large population of Mexican- and Italian-Americans.

Diaz (35-2, 17 KOs) moved up in weight for the first fight, which was contracted at a maximum weight of 138½ pounds. Diaz agreed to 139 for the rematch.

Malignaggi (26-3, 5 KOs) refused to return to Texas, where he believed he was robbed of a decision. Diaz manager Willie Savannah did not want to come to Malignaggi's hometown of New York or even to an East Coast site such as Atlantic City, N.J., which had significant interest in hosting the bout.

In a supporting bout on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" telecast, junior welterweight Victor Ortiz will face former welterweight title challenger Antonio Diaz (46-5-1, 29 KOs), who is looking for his fifth consecutive win since ending a three-year retirement in 2008.

Ortiz (24-2-1, 19 KOs), the 2008 ESPN.com prospect of the year, is coming off his first loss, a sixth-round TKO to Marcos Maidana in June after which Ortiz took a lot of heat for quitting at the end of the all-action interim junior welterweight title bout.

To get started, simply join Sportbet online, review our bonus page and select your deposit method based on the bonus you would like to receive. Sportbet is Knocking out the compatition by giving you up to 50% Bonus on your first deposit.