By Annie Steward
In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Coach Joel Diaz announced that he would no longer be working with Victor Ortiz because “camp was too far from home.”
After being contacted by Al Haymon and Sam Watson about the potential of a big fight for Ortiz, Coach Diaz reached out to his fighter.
“So I text Victor and say, ‘please let me know what’s going on, they wanna know if you’re ready for a big fight.’ So Hoss calls me and tells me Victor’s already training over there, he was working out for three weeks.”
Diaz once again reached out to Ortiz addressing whether or not they would continue their relationship as fighter and trainer.
Diaz recalled Victor’s response, “He said, ‘Coach, thank you, I have nothing but respect for you and your team, I just think that Indio’s too far. There’s really not much in Indio. I know that this sport is about sacrifice, but I’ve sacrificed all my life. Indio’s just not for me. Here in Ventura, I have my friends here and I feel comfortable, so I’m gonna do camp here. You know, the only thing that kept me going was you guys, the boys, the coaches, you guys are great people, and I have nothing but respect for you.’ So I said, OK, if you need anything, let me know, we’ve always got your back.”
Ortiz will continue his training out of Knuckleheadz Boxing in Ventura, CA under Coach Hoss. The opponent for Ortiz’s “big fight” is speculated, though rumors are leaning toward Andre Berto. The two fighters were set to meet in 2012, but the fight was postponed and eventually cancelled due to Berto testing positive for a banned substance.
When asked about the fight, Diaz said, “he’s already fought some of the best in the world. He fought Floyd. He fought some of the biggest fights. If he’s gonna make it or break it, let’s do it now. It’s now or never. He shouldn’t be waiting around. He should go for another big name. If he’s gonna make it now, he’s gonna make it. If not, hey, find something else to do.”
