Oak Hills' Jerry Perez returns to the ring to take on Joseph Diaz Jr. in San Antonio

Oak Hills resident Jerry Perez received the phone call of a lifetime roughly three weeks ago — a bout against former world champion Joseph Diaz Jr.

“I said yes with no hesitation,” Perez, 30, said from a hotel room in San Antonio on Wednesday.

The two boxers are set to square off in a 135-pound bout on Saturday night at the AT&T Center, in San Antonio. The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds and will be broadcast on DAZN.

“I’m just super excited because I’ve been asking for this fight for a long time,” Perez (14-2-1, 11 KOs) said. “I’ve been calling him out. We’ve had some back-and-forth talks and it finally came about. We know each other. We’ve spared each other in the past and I’m expecting the best version of JoJo Diaz. I’m expecting the version of JoJo that beat Tevin Farmer.”

There was a possibility that the fight wouldn't happen following reports Thursday morning of Vergil Ortiz Jr. — who was set to take on Eimantas Stanionis in the main event — being taken to a hospital due to fatigue and dehydration. Ortiz was forced to pull out of his bout after fainting Wednesday night.

The show will go on however as Golden Boy Promotions announced Floyd Schofield will take on Haskell Rhodes in the main event, with Perez and Diaz slotting into the co-main event slot.

At the podium during Thursday’s press conference, Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) thanked Golden Boy Promotions for not canceling the fight card.

“All of us fighters on the undercard have been working day in and day out to showcase our skills and our abilities and what we can do inside the ring,” Diaz said. “For them to save the show for us means a lot.”

As for his bout against Perez, who trains in Pomona at Leo Santa Cruz’s gym, Diaz is on a three-fight losing streak. He previously captured the International Boxing Federation’s super featherweight title in 2020 and is coming off a split decision loss to Mercito Gesta back in March.

Diaz hasn't won a bout since scoring a unanimous decision over Javier Fortuna in July 2021.

“I've been training very hard and my career has had a lot of ups and downs but I've been very focused and determined,” said Diaz, who recently announced he was sober from alcohol, smoking and all other drugs. “I cut a lot of things out of my life that wasn't beneficial for my life and right now I'm at my a-game. Come Saturday night I'm going to put on a show, especially now that I'm the co-main event. I'm really going to wax some ass now.”

Perez, who graduated from Oak Hills in 2011, knows he’s the underdog and welcomes the challenge.

There’s more than simply a victory on the line for Perez on Saturday night.

“This is my biggest fight to date and I’m ready to shock everyone,” Perez said. “This would be a career-changing victory for me because JoJo is a big name. He’s an ex-world champion. A win would elevate my career to a higher level. So I’m looking to change my life with a victory.”

Perez is eager to return to the ring after being left with a sour taste in his mouth following a majority draw against Adrian Corona back in April.

He appeared to pull off the victory in the eight-round bout in Carson; however, one judge scored the bout 78-74 in Perez’s favor, but the other two judges’ cards read 76-76.

“I definitely felt like I won,” Perez said.

After suffering the first loss of his career in April 2021 against Frank Martin, Perez took a hiatus from the sport as he dealt with various issues, including a brief jail stint.

Perez returned to action in May 2022, in Carson, and knocked out Erick Lanzas Jr., who was unbeaten at the time. In October, Perez lost by unanimous decision to Michael Rivera in Brooklyn, before the draw with Corona six months later.

Perez has another motivation heading into Saturday night's matchup — his son, Jerry Jr., who turns a year old on July 25.

Keeping busy has been vital for Perez.

“I’ve just been constantly training and not taking too much time off in between fights since returning to boxing,” Perez said. “I’ve just been staying focused and on the right path. I’m in a good place and I plan on taking that with me into the ring.”

Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions chairman and CEO, described Perez as a “tough fight” for Diaz.

He also believes this is an important fight for Diaz, who De La Hoya promotes. Perez has recently fought on Premier Boxing Champions cards, making this fight his first on a Golden Boy Promotions card.

Perez was at Thursday’s press conference, but didn’t get an opportunity to step on the stage to address the media, or even have a traditional pre-fight staredown with his foe.

But it’s the nature of the business, and De La Hoya’s statement during the press conference indicates there are big plans for Diaz should he snap his losing skid.

“We know Jojo Diaz when fighting against anyone he brings everything inside the ring with him,” De La Hoya said. “He's a hard worker, dedicated and disciplined. And he’s ready to show the world what he's all about and that's becoming world champion soon. He will. This fight is very important… We are very excited about that.”

Perez looks to spoil those plans and hopes for another big fight later this year. In a perfect world, that bout would be against Ryan Garcia, of Victorville.

The pair of fighters have a long history with each other, both growing up in the High Desert. Perez has been eager for that fight against Garcia, who is five years younger.

“If I pull this victory off, I want anyone. Any fight,” Perez said. “But if there is one that I could have it would be against Ryan Garcia. That fight has been a long time coming and hopefully, they are looking at the winner of this fight to match up next against Ryan.

Tune in on Saturday. It’s going to be a fun night.”

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Jerry Perez returns to the ring, set to take on Joseph Diaz Jr.