Joseph Diaz Jr. tried to pretend that the disgusting gash above his left eye wasn’t there throughout the final 10-plus rounds of his fight against Tevin Farmer.

That ghastly battle scar is impossible to ignore now that Diaz has to figure out when to grant Farmer the immediate rematch Diaz owes the former champion as per terms of their contracts. That clause states that their rematch must take place within six months of their 12-round, 130-pound title fight Thursday night in Miami, but Diaz realizes he might need more time for that deep, wide cut to heal.

Farmer mentioned that he’d like a shot at regaining the IBF junior lightweight title by May, but Diaz told BoxingScene.com following his mild upset of Farmer that he’ll take as much time as necessary for scar tissue over his left eye to heal before their second bout is scheduled.

“In the contract that I signed against Tevin Farmer, there was a rematch clause,” Diaz said. “But we’re gonna play it by ear. If Tevin Farmer wants a rematch, I’ll be more than happy to give it to him. The rematch has gotta happen within six months. That was in the contract, so I just wanna make sure my eye is good, everything’s good.

“I wanna make sure that going into the title fight again – I’m gonna be the ‘A’ side, so I wanna make sure I’m 110 percent. I’m not gonna rush anything. I’m gonna take my time, make sure that I’m fully well-prepared and fully healthy, so I can beat his ass again.”

Diaz suffered that huge cut as the result of an accidental clash of heads during the second round. Referee Samuel Burgos had a ringside physician examine Diaz’s cut before the third round began, but Diaz fought through that large laceration and won a 12-round unanimous decision to take the IBF 130-pound championship from Philadelphia’s Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KOs, 1 NC).

The 27-year-old Diaz (31-1, 15 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian from Downey, California, won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the Demetrius Andrade-Luke Keeler undercard at Meridian at Island Gardens.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing