Neither Felix Diaz nor Levan Ghvamichava has suffered back-to-back defeats in their professional careers. Now one of those fighters is about to face that stark reality when they face each other.
Felix Diaz rocks Lamont Peterson with an right hook during their October 17 brawl in Fairfax, Virginia. Diaz dropped a majority decision to the former world champion for his first professional loss. (Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions)
Returning to action for the first time in nearly nine months, former Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz (17-1, 8 KOs) will take on Levan Ghvamichava (16-2-1, 12 KOs) on July 12 in the main event of a Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays battle on Fox Sports 1 (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT). The 147-pound bout from Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino in Nice, California, is scheduled for 10 rounds.
In his last fight in mid-October, Diaz gave former 140-pound champion Lamont Peterson all he could handle before eventually dropping a 12-round split decision for the first loss of his career. A 32-year-old southpaw, Diaz started slow against Peterson before coming on in the middle rounds, often forcing his opponent to cover up and fight on his heels.
Ultimately, Diaz came up short, losing 117-110, 116-112 and 114-114.
“I’m very excited to get back in the ring on July 12 in this tough matchup,” said Diaz, who represented his native Dominican Republic in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, bringing home gold in the latter competition in Beijing.
“This is my first fight back since my close fight with Lamont Peterson, but I’m looking forward to shining and getting back on track toward becoming a world champion.”
Ghvamichava, 30, was last in the ring on March 15, also at Robinson Rancheria Resort, where he slugged it out with fast-rising 140-pound contender Sergey Lipinets. Ghvamichava, nicknamed "The Wolf,” won two of the first three rounds on two scorecards, but he got caught with a devastating left hook to the body in Round 5, crumpled to the canvas and was counted out for his first knockout loss.
That defeat ended a five-fight winning streak for Ghvamichava, who was born in the Eastern European town of Poti, Georgia, but now makes his home in Hayward, California, which is about 150 miles south of Nice. His only other setback came in July 2013, when he was edged by Alberto Herrera in a six-round split decision.
Ghvamichava, who has competed between 140 and 142½ pounds in his last seven contests, says he’s looking forward to moving up up in weight.
“I have been making 140 pounds since I was 16 years old, so the move to 147 pounds is very welcome,” Ghvamichava said. “Along with the hard work I’ve been putting in with my trainer Virgil Hunter, I should show a great deal of improvement against the very skillful Felix Diaz.”
For a complete look at Diaz vs Ghvamichava, visit our fight page.
