Exclusive Boxing Interview: Juan Diaz

© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing

Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, former lightweight champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, 33-1 (17), will face Michael Katsidis, 23-1 (20), after suffering his first career loss to Nate Campbell in March of this year. Coincidentally, Katsidis also enters the ring for the first time since his first loss against Joel Casamayor which took place only a week apart from Diaz’s bout with Campbell .

Since his loss in March which was his last contractual fight with Don King, Diaz has signed with Golden Boy Promotions and is looking forward to what he feels will be a better working relationship.

SaddoBoxing had the opportunity to speak with Diaz in an exclusive phone interview to discuss the difficult time he had with his last bout with Don King as well as his upcoming return to the ring.

SaddoBoxing: Hi Juan, how have you been? I wanted to talk to you a little bit about your upcoming fight, we haven’t spoke since your fight with Nate Campbell, what is your take on what happened during that bout?

Juan Diaz: “Hi Jim, I have been doing good. During that fight I believe that it wasn’t the usual me. I usually have more focus and listen a lot better to my corner. I think a lot of things happened that week with Don King flashing a lot of cards saying that I stole money from him and my manager stole money from him. It was just one of those things that made me very uncomfortable and it mentally took me out of my game. I think that when I was in the fight that’s what prevented me from doing what I usually do going back to my corner and listening to exactly what they have to tell and what I have to do in order to win the fight.”

SB: I had heard about some of the signs that Don King had made up during the week of the final press conference, I can’t recall exactly what they said but is that part of the distraction you are talking about?

JD: “That’s what I was talking about with the cards. He put up signs at the press conference I believe two or three days before the fight he was saying I stole money from him, I was lying to him and not honoring my contract. My trainer Ronnie Shields broke his leg down there, there were just a lot of things that were going on.”

SB: I believe your manager Willie Savannah had put in a protest after the fight because there was no pre or post fight drug test, was that something that was pursued?

JD: “Well actually it was pursued down there [in Mexico] but once we got back to the United States it really didn’t matter, it was another country that we fought in and we practically had our hands tied. Our main concern down there was that maybe they would mess with my urine testing so what we did was stop at one of the clinics here in Houston to get a drug test. I gave them a sample so they would have it and on the way back from the fight I went back to the clinic that Monday morning and gave them another urine sample to make sure that I was clean just in case they wanted to mess with my analysis while we were down there. I never thought that they would not drug test us for a three belt championship fight.”

SB: What was the atmosphere like when you got to Mexico compared to other fights that you had experienced?

JD: “It was totally different, the people in Mexico were wonderful but as far as our people working with Don King and all the sanctioning bodies it was a little different because even though I was putting up the WBA and WBO titles they didn’t really seem to get involved in anything, they were on the sidelines. The main people were the IBF who were really part of everything and were getting involved in everything, it seemed like they were all for Don King. King wouldn’t even come and speak to me like other times, he just kind of ignored me, you could really see that he wanted me to lose or not do anything good since it was my last fight with him.”

SB: Have you had any conversations or contact with Don King since Mexico ?

JD: “No, since we left Mexico that was it, it was the end of our contract and I haven’t heard or spoke to him since.”

SB: Was everything honored contractually that you were supposed to get?

JD: “No, for the fight he wanted me to sign and stay with him longer after the Nate Campbell fight. We fought and argued, the fight contract wasn’t signed until the night before the fight, that’s one of the other things that was mentally making me not be prepared for the fight. He didn’t want to sign his part of the contract; he didn’t sign it until the night before the fight, because he wanted me to sign an extension and I wouldn’t do it. Finally we agreed that I would take $250,000 less for that fight and he wouldn’t give me any trouble and just sign the contract.”

SB: That had to be a lot weighing on your mind.

JD: “It was a big distraction, because I’m preparing myself for two months, everyday I would ask my manager if he signed the contract and he kept saying, no, no, no. That’s how it was up until the night before the fight; I kind of knew he would sign it because we aren’t going to go all the way down there and HBO and everybody is down there and he is not going to sign it. I figured he would sign but not to the point where I would have to take a $250,000 pay cut and all of those other distractions going on, it was hard.”

SB: During the Campbell fight besides everything going on outside the ring explain how you felt when you were in the ring with Campbell ?

JD: “I felt in the fight it was a little awkward, I thought that it wasn’t me because of everything going outside of the fight. I just felt very unnatural and out of my element so I felt like it wasn’t me in that fight.”

SB: I noticed in watching that fight your work rate wasn’t what it normally is and you seemed a little awkward with Campbell’s style but what was more surprising to me was, no disrespect to Nate Campbell but he has never ever been at the level that he was during that fight. His work rate was something that he’s never done before. In his past fights to say the least they were not as nearly impressive as what he put on with you which made the allegations that were put forth after the fight all the more convincing. He has not been that type of fighter in the past and all of a sudden he is the one throwing more than a hundred punches a round, it seemed very out of character for him.

JD: “It’s amazing to me as well because I didn’t expect that, I had seen him fight before in the past and I didn’t think he would come out and throw that many punches and especially at 36 when he wasn’t able to do it at 25 or 26 it’s a little awkward but like I said it was some things that I could not control and things that were beyond my reach.”

SB: During the fight with Campbell were you hurt at all?

JD: “No, I wasn’t hurt at all, the only thing that was bothering me the most was that cut on my left eye, it swelled up pretty fast after the sixth round so I think mainly that’s what was bothering me. I was a little nervous and maybe a little scared about getting knocked out because I couldn’t see through my left eye.”

SB: What was your reaction after the fight having your first loss on your record?

JD: “Actually I felt pretty bad but at the same time I felt good when I was able to see my family and everyone that was close around me in the dressing room. I think that’s what pulled me more towards not being so devastated the fact that all my family members and close friends were there supporting me after that loss.”

SB: How did your mom take it? I know she sometimes has a difficult time watching you in the ring, how was she with the cut and the swelled eye?

JD: “Surprisingly enough she was very happy that I was just standing there next to her. She is always more afraid of my health more than anything else, once I told her I was ok and I let her know everything was ok she was relieved. She didn’t really care that I had lost, she was just more concerned about my health, when she saw that everything was good she said that’s all that matters to me, winning, losing I don’t care just as long as you are ok after the fight.”

SB: Did you look at a variety of promoters after parting ways with Don King or did you know right away that you wanted to go with Golden Boy?

JD: “I was looking at other promoters, I received a few offers and contracts to review but in the end Mr. Willie Savannah and I decided that Golden Boy would be the best way to go because they had what we believed to be the most honest contract and we believe that he is the man of the future for boxing, and I think we made the right decision.”

SB: Are you under contract for a certain number of fights or a certain number of years?

JD: “We will be with him for eight fights which will be about two and a half years.”

SB: So you are looking to be more active starting with the Katsidis fight?

JD: “Yes, I plan on being more active, I want to stay active and fight at least three times a year and that’s what Golden Boy has offered us, if I’m willing to fight than he is willing to put me in these fights. I think that we have made the right choice; one of things that I have seen was a fight contract with Don King was fifteen to twenty pages, a contract with De La Hoya is two pages long. That’s a big change and that alone tells me that I made the right decision. The contract that De La Hoya sent to me just states the facts, where I’m going to fight, against who and that’s it.”

SB: Golden Boy Promotions have been doing a lot of good things and have built themselves a large stable of fighters, do you think that down the road you will have trouble getting mindshare with the number of fighters that they have in their stable?

JD: “I doubt it, he does have a lot of great fighters, but if he puts two of his own guys in the ring together he has nothing to lose but I think that he will promote both of us just as much and the same because no matter the outcome he’s going to win. Whoever does win it’s going to be his fighter and he is going to want them to have publicity, I don’t think any of his fighters will get less or better treatment than the other.”

SB: Talking a little bit about your upcoming fight with Katsidis, you definitely did not take an easy route coming back after your first loss, what are you expecting in your bout?

JD: “I’m expecting what I have seen throughout the past with Katsidis coming forward throwing a lot of punches and being very aggressive. This time I’m mentally and physically prepared 110% because I know that if I loosen up a little bit or I’m not on top of my game Katsidis will put me on my butt!”

SB: Have you been working on anything specific in camp?

JD: “I have been working on putting pressure like always, but putting pressure on smart by using my jab, using angles instead of just coming straight forward.”

SB: Did you have an opportunity to see his fight against Casamayor?

JD: “Yes I did, it was a great fight. If you want to beat Katsidis you could take a lot of what Casamayor did but at the same time it really doesn’t benefit me at all because I’m not a southpaw. I know Casamayor knocked Katsidis down in the first round three times with that left hand but I can’t use it because I’m not a southpaw. It’s totally different fighting a southpaw and a conventional fighter.”

SB: Do you care to offer a prediction for the fight?

JD: “Well I’m not known for my power. I’m not going into the fight expecting a knockout. What I am expecting is a victory at the end of the night because I think I will be the one throwing more punches than Katsidis, having the better connect rate and the better punch stat numbers. I expect a tough fight, an all out drag out fight but I will be the winner that night.”

SB: Would you care to say anything to your fans while you have the opportunity?

JD: “Yes, I want to thank them for all their support, last time it was unfortunate that I had to lose. I was a little disappointed but I’m back on track again and after this fight than I will be back where I left off. Expect a great fight on September 6th because it will be a fight that will have a lot of punches thrown and a lot of action in it.”

SB: Thanks a lot Juan I appreciate your time, it’s always a pleasure talking to you, on behalf of Saddoboxing I wish you the best in your upcoming fight.

JD: “Thank you Jim, feel free to call me anytime.”