Southland Olympian Joseph Diaz Jr. has worked his way to HBO date

Joseph Diaz Jr.’s disciplined quest for something more has netted him a fight on HBO.

The South El Monte featherweight will meet Puerto Rico’s Jayson Velez on March 26 to open the network’s broadcast headlined by Andre Ward’s light-heavyweight debut in Oakland.

“This is the perfect time for this opportunity. It’s my fourth year as a professional fighter,” Diaz told The Times. “I’m ready for this big stage that’s the next big step up, and I can’t wait to show the world who Joseph Diaz really is.”

Diaz (19-0, 11 knockouts) clearly showed in his fifth fight of 2015 that he was ready for a greater challenge. The 23-year-old 2012 Olympian scored a technical knockout of Hugo Partida at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio.

Against Velez (23-1-1, 16 KOs), he’ll meet a fighter looking to rebound from a November loss by decision to Santa Ana’s Ronny Rios on the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Miguel Cotto undercard. The 5-foot-8 1/2 Velez fought Evgeny Gradovich to a draw in 2014 for the International Boxing Federation featherweight title.

In the main event, Oakland’s former super-middleweight world champion Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) will fight for just the second time since November 2013, when he meets Big Bear-trained Cuban Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) at Oracle Arena. The card begins at 6:45 p.m. Pacific time on HBO.

Diaz is 2 1/2 inches shorter and will be shy six inches in reach against Velez.

“The fight will be entertaining because I think we’ll both be throwing a lot of punches,” Diaz said. “Velez is a tall, rangy fighter who likes to be aggressive and throw punches. He’s coming from [the Rios] loss, recovering, and wants to show he deserves to be at the top of his division. So we’re both hungry.

“Being disciplined and showing everyone I’m an aggressive fighter got me this fight, and I’ve showed I’ve been able to overcome whatever they have for me with my speed, power and combinations, especially in my last two fights.”

A self-described “gym rat,” Diaz said his manager, Ralph Heredia, promised this would be his breakout year, and the fighter vows to remain busy, seeking four fights this calendar year.

“If I win this fight, it’ll make me move up closer to a world-title shot. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for and I have to take advantage of it because it’ll open up a lot of doors,” Diaz said. “My manager told me I just need to stay focused. I’m not going to let anyone down.”