Star Boxing Press Conference: Oscar Diaz vs. Delvin Rodriguez

Oscar Diaz and Delvin Rodriguez addressed the media yesterday in their final press conference before their much anticipated showdown for the USBA welterweight championship that will take place tonight at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, TX.

The fight, which will be shown on ESPN2’s “Wednesday Night Fights,” has had boxing fans and insiders buzzing since the fight was first announced. Even ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas, by his own admission, is excited about this matchup. “This should be a good one,” stated Atlas. “That’s good for me. And more importantly, it’s good for the fans.”

Star Boxing CEO and promoter of Wednesday’s card, Joe DeGuardia, was the first to address the media. “Here we are, finally”, said DeGuardia. “We have been trying to put this fight together for almost three years and finally the time has come. You take a look at these guys sitting here [Oscar and Delvin] and you see these nice looking kids, who talk polite and always seem to have a smile on their face and you wonder, are these guys really going to fight each other?

“Trust me when both of these guys get in the ring everything changes. Even in the ring both of these guys are very skill-full talented boxers and can be extremely successful fighting in that style. But when the cards are down, both of these guys want to fight. That’s why this is going to be such an exciting fight and that’s why there has been so much anticipation leading up to this fight.

“On Wednesday you are going to see two young talented fighters giving it there all to come out victorious. Both of these guys are putting it all on the line. This is an extremely tough fight for both guys, but both of them wanted this fight so badly. Delvin has traveled all the way to Oscar’s backyard to try to get back his USBA belt back. On the other hand Oscar is fighting his self-proclaimed toughest fight in his career with the pressure of having to impress his hometown fans. You are not going to want to miss this fight, trust me.”

Terrance Cauthen, 32-4 (9), who is fighting Texan knockout artist Alexis Camacho, 16-0 (15), in the co- feature, was the first fighter to address the media. “First off I want to thank Joe DeGuardia and Star Boxing for putting this fight together,” said Cauthen. “This is a very exciting fight on a very exciting card.”

Cauthen, who was stopped in a barnburner in his last fight, by Sechew Powell, has dropped down in weight from junior middleweight to welterweight and feels he is ready to take the division by storm.

“This is another opportunity for me to show the world who Terrance Cauthen is,” proclaimed a confident Cauthen. “Everyone in this sport has had their ups and downs at one point. That’s what boxing and life is about, fighting back when you are faced with adversity. I can’t wait for this fight and can’t wait to show everyone that I am back and more dangerous than ever.”

Oscar Diaz’s manager and boxing legend, Lou Duva, was next to the podium. “I am happy to be here in Texas,” he said. “I go back a long ways with this state. Why me and everyone else are so excited about this fight is because it’s a fight that matches two young, talented, tough, exciting, up and coming fighters against one another. Boxing needs more of this. This is a fight that the fans want to see and Oscar and Delvin have stepped up and are going to give them that. Both fighters are evenly matched and I just can not wait to see this fight.”

Delvin Rodriguez was the first fighter from the main event to give his take on the fight. “As I have said before I am extremely excited about his fight,” he said. “This is due or die for both of us, our time is now. I have trained very hard for this fight and know that I am ready to go. This is a major opportunity for both of us. The winner propels himself into the upper echelon of the division, the loser has to start over. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this my entire life and I do not plan on letting it slip by.”

Regarding the pressure style of Diaz, Rodriguez said, “I know he likes to put a lot of pressure on his opponents and I know he throws a lot of punches. If he plans to pressure me though he better be prepared to eat a lot of punches coming in.”

“I want to thank Star Boxing and San Antonio for putting this fight together,” started the hometown favorite Oscar Diaz. “This is a great fight for me, Delvin, and most importantly, the fans. I am very motivated for this fight and I would say this was probably my best training camps ever. As Delvin said, the winner of this fight puts himself into that A-class in the welterweight division. Our backs are against the wall, and I honestly believe that the winner of this fight is going to be determined by who wants it more.

“I am ready for a war, 12 rounds or less, it doesn’t matter I am ready. This is a perfect fight at the perfect time. We both have been asking and waiting for an opportunity like this, and here it is. I feel faster, stronger, and sharper then I ever have before and I can’t express enough how exciting this fight is going to be. I hope everyone can make it to the Municipal Auditorium on Wednesday and if you can’t tune in on ESPN2 because I promise you, you don’t want to miss this fight.”

Tickets are still on sale for this fight which includes some of the areas top local talent and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets including the Alamodome box office or by going online to TicketMaster.com or charge by phone at (210) 224- 9600. Reserved tickets can be purchased for $65, $35, or $20.