Juan Diaz: The Not So Baby Bull.

“People would say that, yeah I was going to give some good fights, but I would never be at a championship level, and I proved them wrong. I will continue to prove that I can be in there with any of the top guys.”-Juan Diaz.

On June 23, 2000, at the tender age of sixteen, Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz made his professional debut with a first round TKO over Rafael Ortiz. That was five years, twenty-seven fights, and a world title ago. Now, at the age of twenty-one, Diaz prepares to defend his WBA crown for the third time against rugged contender Ebo Elder

as part of a blockbuster Pay Per-View event being co-promoted by Main Events and ESPN. The card features some great match ups with Diaz vs. Elder having “fight of the year” potential considering the types of fights the two have given the public in the past. “I guess I was destined to be a boxer and a world champion even before I came into this world,” said Diaz from his training camp at the Savanna Boxing Gym in Houston, Texas, referring to a statement that his father made to his mother prior to his birth. It’s the type of encouragement and belief from his parents that keeps the “baby bull” focused. He is an accomplished professional boxer signed with Main Events, who still lives at home with his parents and abides by their rules. “It is one of the key factors that has helped me become a world champion and kept me in such a straight line. My parents mean everything to me because they will be there no matter if I win or lose. They support me and will never leave my side. That kind of support is important to a fighter.”

And a straight line he does keep as Diaz is not only a world champion boxer, but is also a full-time pre-law student at the University of Houston with aspirations of becoming an attorney. One would ask why, with the potential to make so much money in boxing, would he not put off school and focus on the sport full-time? “College could wait, but I didn’t decide to do it like that because at any point of my boxing career could be my last. I can break a hand or a leg and that would be the end of my boxing career. If that were to happen, at least I have a head-start on my studies.”

For right now, the only studies that Diaz is focusing on is his fight on April 23, 2005, with the left-handed Ebo Elder. “I’ve been working with two sparring partners, southpaws. In the beginning, I had a little trouble adjusting but, it took me a couple of days and now I’m doing good. I’m healthy, have had no injuries, and I’m ready for the fight.”

And ready he will need to be as Elder is a busy southpaw fighter who is coming off a very emotional and impressive twelfth round TKO of Courtney Burton. “Ebo Elder most of the time comes forward and throws a lot of punches, and I’m ready for that.”

It does not make sense now to think that, at one point, Diaz was seen as the lesser talented fighter of a young stable at Main Events, which includes Francisco “Panchito” Bojado, and Kermit “The Killer” Cintron. Now, Juan receives praise from such respected people in the sport as the legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward, who after the fight with Lakva Sim, was very impressed with the young fighter. “It makes me feel real good and at the same time, I don’t worry about how they used to talk about me because I like being the underdog because that makes me work even harder to prove to people that I can do it. I didn’t go to the Olympics and I was one of the first ones to become a world champion. I was seen as an underdog and a lot a people would say that, yeah I was going to give some good fights, but I would never be at a championship level, and I proved them wrong. I will continue to prove that I can be in there with any of the top guys.”

In regards to the upcoming fight between Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales, who Diaz considers the two top guys of the division, he offered no prediction as to whom he thought would win, but is hoping to fight a unification bout with the winner, should he get past Elder. “Right now, I’m focused on fighting Ebo. I don’t think about who I will fight in the future. I want to unify the titles, but that is not in my head right now.”

It’s always a pleasure to see guys like Diaz succeeding, not only in the sport, but in life itself. He is a very young, centered, focused, intelligent individual who plans to be in boxing for at least another six to seven years. In closing, he had this to say: “I want to thank all the fans all around the country that have been supporting me one hundred percent since I started. I know that there are a lot of fans that believe in me, and show moral support even though they can’t be there by praying for me. And I just want to thank them for all the support.”

Who knows what will happen on April 23, 2005, but I can tell you this much, regardless of the outcome, Diaz will still have his family behind him and a bright future ahead.

Sergio Martinez can be reached at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com