Dieppa debuted as a professional on February 13, 1993, when he fought Carlos Figueroa in an event organized at the
Roberto Clemente Coliseum. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. His first professional fight in Vieques took place on March 7, 1993, when he knocked out David Almodouvar in the second round. It took Dieppa almost eight months to return to a boxing ring in an official fight. This was his first major lay-off from boxing. He returned, on January 29, 1994, and participated in a boxing card that took place in
San Juan, where he defeated Jose Hernandez by unanimous decision. Dieppa's first fight outside of Puerto Rico took place on April 13, 1995, when he fought Hipolito Saucedo, in
Las Vegas, Nevada. The contest was scheduled for six rounds and the judges declared it a draw. Following this fight he participated in four fights organized in Ponce and San Juan, winning two by knockout. On June 1, 1996, Dieppa won his first regional professional championship when he defeated Pablo Tiznado in a card that took place in
Miami, Florida. In this fight he won the Fecarbox Flyweight championship, a regional title sanctioned by the
World Boxing Council. During this timeframe Dieppa was trained by Félix Trinidad Sr. and was under contract with
Don King. Dieppa won three, non-title bouts in a row, including a unanimous decision in eight rounds against Kenny Berrios on June 7, 1997. His next fight was against Carlos Murillo and was held on February 13, 1998, at the
University of New Mexico in
Albuquerque. The judges awarded Murillo a split decision victory, marking Dieppa's first professional defeat. On October 3, 1998, he returned to activity in a fight against Orlando Malone. Dieppa won the fight by unanimous decision. He participated in three fights between 1999 and early 2000, winning all of them by knockout. On July 3, 2000, Dieppa had his first world title opportunity. Dieppa fought world champion Will Grigsby for the WBO's world Jr. Flyweight title. Dieppa was declared the winner by unanimous decision at first, but Grigsby tested positive for
cocaine after the fight. The WBO declared the fight a
no contest and Dieppa was stripped of the championship. Masibulele Makepula of South Africa won the vacant championship but the WBO stripped it and declared it vacant.
Winning and defending the WBO title After winning a preparatory fight, Dieppa would fight against Andy Tabanas for the vacant WBO championship. The fight was organized at the
Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dieppa won the fight by knockout in the eleventh round. His first title defense took place on September 29, 2001, where he retained his title with a twelve-round unanimous decision over Fahran Sakkreehrin. The end of the fight with Sakkreehin marked the beginning of Dieppa's managerial problems. During this timeframe Félix Trinidad Sr. retired, leaving Dieppa without a trainer. As a consequence Dieppa spent several months inactive. His next fight took place on August 24, 2002, against John Molina. Defending his WBO Jr. Flyweight title for the second time, Dieppa suffered an injury product of accidental headbutt in the second round, which led to the fight being declared a
technical draw. For the next year and a half, Dieppa had a series of problems, including some injuries and ongoing managerial disputes. The World Boxing Organization considered stripping him of the championship, but decided that Dieppa was unable to defend the title due to matters outside of his control. On March 20, 2004, Dieppa participated in his third title defense, against
Colombia's Kermin Guardia in a fight held at the Mario Morales coliseum, in
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Dieppa won by knockout after one minute and fifty-one seconds of the round had passed. Guardia announced his retirement immediately after the fight. Dieppa's next defense took place on July 30, 2004, in a card organized in
Louisville, Kentucky, where he fought against
Ulises Solís. Dieppa retained the title by a majority decision, with one of the judges scoring the fight 114-114 while the other two gave scorecards of 120-108 in favor of Dieppa. On January 29, 2005, Dieppa fought against
Alex Sánchez in a fight that took place at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum, in
Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Prior to the fight a number of promotional events were organized. Sanchez had an early advantage in the fight, relying on his boxing skills. In the eleventh round Dieppa won by knockout after connecting a solid combination. The fight was stopped in the tenth round with Cazares receiving a technical decision victory. On December 17, 2005, Dieppa returned to action versus Juan Alfonso Keb Baas in an event organized in
Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Dieppa won by unanimous decision and won the vacant WBC Continental Americas Jr. Flyweight title. On May 26, 2006, Dieppa fought against Eric Ramírez of Mexico. In this fight he focused on using his boxing skills to counter Ramírez's aggressive style. Following this fight, Dieppa defeated former champion
Alex Sanchez, and lost by unanimous decision to
Iván Calderón for the WBO's championship. ==See also==