Julio Diaz Lays it All on the Line.
“I’m ready for either way this fight goes because I’m well trained for any style of fighting.”-Julio Diaz.
| In boxing terms, Julio Diaz literally gave everything up to fight WBC champion Jose Luis Castillo, the man many feel is the best lightweight in the talent-laden division. Pound-for-pound boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. arguably had his most difficult fight as a result of Castillo’s efforts, but Diaz voluntarily gave up his IBF title to face the man from Mexicali, Mexico as he strives to make his mark in one of the sport’s most competitive weight classes. Many have |  © Tom Casino/Showtime |
questioned the Californian’s actions for dropping the belt to face such a difficult challenge. But Diaz thrives on proving those who doubt him wrong and plans to prove his claim of being the best fighter in the world at 135-pounds on Showtime’s Saturday night broadcast from the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas.
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Julio Diaz had to overcome a series of setbacks to get where he is today but knows that without the crushing disappointment of losing to Angel Manfredy and Juan Valenzuela, he wouldn’t be half the fighter he is today. And what a fighter he is. Diaz, 30-2 (22), has gunned down a slew of hard cases such as Ernesto Zepeda, Courtney Burton, Miguel Huerta and James Crayton. His finest moment to date however, came last May when he wrested the IBF lightweight title from the very experienced Javier Jauregui over the course of twelve bitter rounds.
Jose Luis Castillo, 51-6-1 (45), will try to make sure that those hurdles Diaz faced were nothing compared to the cauldron of pressure he plans to immerse the twenty-five-year-old in. Since dethroning Stevie Johnston in 2000, Castillo has had his ups-and-downs, but his body of work since that time is second-to-none in the division. Joel Casamayor, Juan Lazcano, and Cesar Bazan are just some of the names that litter Castillo’s resume, but Diaz feels well prepared and up for the test of his life. “Things are going great for me,” the former IBF champion declared. “My camp was perfect and it couldn’t have been any better. We had strong sparring with perfect rest and good diet. Everything went smooth and we’re pretty much just waiting for the fight. I sparred with junior middleweight Angel Hernandez from Chicago and Americo Santos, a strong young kid from Texas who’s always busy. It was a great help that got me really ready.”
There aren’t many who would give up a world title and risk a prolonged beating at the hands of Julio Cesar Chavez’s onetime teenaged sparring partner, but Diaz has been studying Castillo for a long time now and is far from intimidated. “He’s a dangerous power puncher and I’m going to have to watch out for every shot, particularly his body shots,” cautioned Diaz. “I don’t see him as a fighter who tries to win rounds and I don’t think he’s going to be looking for a decision. He’s going to try to corner and pressure me, looking for that one punch. I’ve been watching Castillo forever though and he has his good days and his bad days. Hopefully, we can catch him on one of his bad days. The smartest thing for me to do is to try and keep him at a distance and control the engagements. If that doesn’t work, then I’ve got other plans. If I can keep him where I want him though, victory shouldn’t be that complicated. I’m ready for either way this fight goes because I’m well trained for any style of fighting.”
If Diaz can prove his critics wrong, look for big fights on the horizon, as he’ll become the prime target for the seething title-hungry contender class of unbeaten prospects and former champions. While the challenger is obviously looking for those golden opportunities, he is quite selective about who he’d like to face in the near future should everything goes his way against Castillo. In fact, that’s really the key to why Diaz chose to drop the IBF belt in the first place. “My having the IBF belt was a pretty tough situation where I didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy it the way I wanted to, but my options were really limited,” he said. “I had to take what was there. This fight with Castillo was my best option.”
“I had the chance to fight Castillo or stay stuck in the same place I’d been for a while. I couldn’t get big fights and the fights I could have gotten were the same types of ones I would have had before without a title. Things hadn’t really changed much. That was kind of frustrating and the reason why I left Top Rank. I think after my loss to Valenzuela, that everybody lost confidence in me. That’s why I’m fighting Castillo, really, because I’m an underdog and he’s supposed to be this huge monster that’s so powerful and supposedly the next Chavez. If I as a fighter would beat someone like that, then I would be the man. That’s why I took this risky, hard fight because I want the credit for beating somebody like Castillo.”
Julio Diaz is ready to take the WBC title as well as “top dog in the division” status away from Jose Luis Castillo tomorrow night. Whether or not Castillo is willing to part with those things is another matter entirely, but the drama that will develop in the ring at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as a result of that argument should be a thing of deadly fistic beauty to witness.
Richard Eberline can be reached at richardeberline@fastmail.fm