No one can ever accuse trainer Joel Diaz of not keeping it real with his fighters. As one of the most honest and hardworking trainers in the game, Joel Diaz doesn’t put up with fighters unwilling to give him everything they got.
That is why it was somewhat perplexing when it was announced that Victor Ortiz would begin training with Diaz, trainer of pound for pound fighter Timothy Bradley.
Diaz is a more than understandable choice in trainer and his time with Bradley has proven that he has the kind of hardnosed approach capable of whipping fighters into shape. However, Ortiz is known for being a bit soft and somewhat of a diva, rumors of his lackadaisical work ethic correlate with some of his in-ring performances, most notably his quit job against Marcos Maidana.
I could foresee some issues with Diaz and Ortiz. Those moments in the gym when a trainer has to show a fighter tough love and try to get the fighter to dig deep. Will Ortiz respond to Diaz in a way that Diaz expects and has come accustomed to?
Time will tell. For now, there is no fight on the schedule for Ortiz, although he has mentioned a November return.
Diaz spoke with Thaboxingvoice.com and his confidence in Ortiz is somewhat unclear, but he believes Ortiz is sincere about continuing his career. One thing he does know is Ortiz needs a disciplined camp and an authoritative voice in his corner.
“He wants it. In a couple of conversations we had, he feels like he’s let the world down, obviously that’s what he’s done and he’s got a lot to prove. If you ask me ‘where’s Victor’s career?’ only thing I can tell you is we will know after his next fight because he needs a lot of work. He’s a very talented fighter, he has natural ability, he has power, but I just think that Victor needs that voice of command that has that aggressiveness,” Diaz said.
It is hard to know if Diaz is what Ortiz needs, as previously mentioned Diaz is more than capable of doing his job, but it isn’t clear whether Ortiz can rebuild his career. Again, I’m not calling Diaz’s abilities into question because he knows his boxing. If there is any trainer that can revive a career it is Diaz, and we’ve seen him successful with his fighters when they are at their lowest point.
Diaz is confident that win or lose he will bring out whatever fight is left in Ortiz. But if Ortiz doesn’t have it any more than Diaz will let him know because he cares about his fighters.
“He knows that in me there’s no playing, I’m for real. When it comes down to the fight, I’m fighting the fight with him and I’m aggressive. I love the fight game, so with me I don’t think he’s going to show me the opposite because I will make him fight.
“You’ve seen me with Bradley, you’ve seen Bradley down and I bring him back. Sometimes he’s already dead and I bring him back to life and he still wins the fight. That’s just me, that is part of my nature because I’m a natural fighter myself, I love that.”
Diaz didn’t give any details on his time with Ortiz, other than casually mentioning some conversations they’ve had. So far, Diaz is doing what he feels is best for Ortiz and that means being honest with him and not catering to his celebrity status.
“By [Victor] making the decision and transition coming to me, he knows what to expect. Before we started training, I broke it down to him. I told him ‘hey, you’re in the gutter, nobody believes in you, so if you really want to do this let’s do it, if not don’t waste my time’ and just with his tone of voice and his answer he shown me he wants it. He wants to prove people wrong.”
It is a weird situation because Ortiz has gained some fame outside of the ring, he even appeared in Expendables 3, but his status as a fighter is at an all-time low. If Ortiz is expecting the celebrity treatment then the relationship with Diaz will go south quickly, but if he can check his ego at the door then he might have a chance. Diaz will surely assist in helping to humble Ortiz and make him realize that he needs to work like a hungry fighter.
Can anything help Ortiz? That isn’t known quite yet. This could be a situation where Diaz is trying to aid a fighter that has nothing left, if that is the case then no trainer in the world could help Ortiz. But, at least Diaz knows the fight game well enough that he can help Ortiz come to that decision, he’s certainly honest enough to tell him so.
However, Diaz doesn’t seem to have high expectations. For Diaz, it may be a situation where he will give Ortiz everything he can while simultaneously assessing Ortiz’s desire. We usually see the fighter leaving the trainer, but if Ortiz isn’t putting out the effort then it may be Diaz who is unwilling to continue.
“I have nothing to lose,” Diaz said. “To me it’s a win/win situation. If he comes back strong and knocks people out and shows that he really wants it, then that gives me a lot of credit because they’re going to say ‘he changed him,’ but if he doesn’t, I mean he was already broken, simple as that.”
