The Baby Bull, Juan Diaz makes his return to the boxing ring on April 13. He will be coming off of 3 year layoff. His last fight ended in defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez. Ever since then, Diaz said that he didn’t watch boxing for a year until he started getting an itch for it. The most action Diaz would get would be negotiating deals with clients in his trucking business and going for desert after.
Then it happened, he started going to local fights and then started attending bigger fights. Finally, it was one punch that made Diaz want to come back to the sport of boxing.
“Juan Manuel Marquez was the one that lit that fire back up. When I retired I did not watch one single fight in a whole year. I just wanted to shut my ears and eyes off to the sport. After that year hit, I started to tune into the local fights, I saw some big fights, and then I started to get my itch back. I went to Vegas for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. When he knocked Pacquiao out, it lit that fire because I was in there with that guy (Marquez) and I almost had him, and that fire been burning ever since.” Diaz told ThaBoxingVoice.com.
But it must have been hard coming back, not only convincing himself it was worth it but also those close to him as well.
“I made a promise to her (his mother) at the age of 28, I was going to retire. That was the most difficult part of the whole process, just explaining to my mother, but she told me Juan you’re a grown man and you know what’s best for you. You have my blessings.”
So now he’s back and looking to win a world title in a division where he used to be the lightweight champion of the world. Diaz sees an opportunity to get back at the top in the very same division he once ruled.
“I’m coming back at the lightweight limit; I can still make it pretty comfortably. This fight is 135 or 136. I want to get a title at the lightweight division and there are guys out there I know I can beat. I definitely saw (Miguel) Vasquez live at the Marquez-Pacquiao fight. He’s boring. I don’t know if he ever gets another TV spot. I know I can beat him, but I already know it’s going to be a boring fight. At the lightweight limit, there are not too many guys that will hang in there with me. I’m big enough to push these guys back. Whoever lines up. Right now the problem would be that promoters are not working together and you had the fallout with HBO and Golden Boy. I’m a free agent. I got a one fight deal with Golden Boy and Lejia-Battah. After this fight, I’m going to go with the best deal and position for me, whoever has a title.”
But Diaz once in the driver’s seat and a major ticket seller in Houston, knows he has to take the opportunities as they come and prove himself at any level, even traveling abroad.
“I am the guy that has to prove myself again and if it means going to Scotland for Ricky Burns, then why not? Right now my mentality is to fight whoever wants to fight me. I need at least two tune up fights. Then towards the end of the year, look for a title shot.”
A question that was posed to Diaz on ThaBoxingVoice.com’s radio show was: If he feels that he would likely run into WBC Lightweight Champion Adrien Broner? Diaz responded by saying, “Broner and me would be a huge mega fight. As a fighter, I always say bring them on right now, but as a businessman, I need a few fights to get back into the rhythm of things.”
One thing is for certain, Diaz will not be returning with longtime trainer Ronnie Shields but with Derwin Richards. He explained that Richards just brings that little bit of extra out of him.
“I’m not returning with Ronnie Shields but with my coach Derwin Richards, Ronnie’s former 1st assistant. Ronnie’s a great trainer. I believe Derwin has learned a lot from Ronnie. He has his own style and his own way of thinking. The reason I chose to stick with Derwin, is because he knows how to motivate me, to push me to my limits but he doesn’t let me fall.”
Listen to the full interview here:http://mixlr.com/thaboxingvoice/showreel/brandon-rios-emmanuel-taylor-juan-diaz-the-return-of-the-baby-bull/
