Quote Originally Posted by Jimafee View Post
Ice, it wasn't a headbutt that caused the cut, it was a punch
Actually, it was a headbutt. It was opened up even further by a punch. Watch the 2nd round again and you'll see Campbell's head come rocketing into Diaz's.

And I might still put Diaz in my p4p list. I'm not so quick to write him off on the basis of one fight. I think if he has a rematch clause he should exercise it and he'll take his belt back.

Did you throw Shane Mosley off you p4p list after he lost to Forrest? How about when RJJ got DQ'd against Montell Griffin?

Shame on anyone who was so quick to throw him over. Diaz had 1 of 2 things going wrong for him Saturday night. His buzzsaw style was effectively blunted against a slick fighter who can take a punch and he wasn't Nate Campbell. Let's face it, Campbell is pretty much a back-to-the-wall kind of fighter. At 36 he's pretty much at the ass end of his career considering the division he's in, he's been to the top and failed twice before and he couldn't get any farther away from home than Diaz's mother country. Did you hear the ring music Campbell in with? Damn right he knew he had to seize the moment or it was OVER. Campbell trained like his life depended on it and poured everything he had in him on the canvas. Diaz is more than a decade younger than Campbell, had already been a champ for a while and, his own fault, has other things to fall back on. Campbell was pretty much in fight-or-die mode and Diaz had no reason to think that way.

And the cut he gave Diaz didn't hurt, either.

Notice how different the tone of the fight was after that. Diaz has never fought that tired-looking before. And before anyone begins to question his heart remember how Shane Mosley pretty much broke down after he got cut from a head butt in the Forrest fight? He'd never been cut like that before and I'd bet if it happened in another fight he'd be better prepared to deal with it. And his corner would come with actual coagulant instead of that Visine crap.

I say Diaz exercises a rematch clause immediately and you will see a totally different fight. Campbell has made it to the mountaintop and that razor's edge in him is dulled somewhat. Diaz will have to commit to boxing in a way he hadn't for Saturday night and will be truer to form. For a while he was showing progressive improvement in his defense and he showed none of that against Campbell, Diaz (largely because his offense was his defense) & Freitas.

I knew this kid was something special when I saw what he did against Cotto.

He needs to sit mother, father & trainer down and explain to them that law school doesn't pay the bills, but boxing makes ends meet several times over. He needs--and this is the scary part because the structure may be part of his success--to move out on his own. Law school isn't going away and he can quit boxing anytime. But trying to do both may be too much weight for him to carry.