We fans are extremely concerned when boxers such as Victor Burgos and Magomed Abdusalamov are damaged, but then we seem to forget them?
?We need a miracle.?? Fernando Diaz, Oscar?s brother
?I would never wish what happened to Oscar upon anyone. Oscar is a great guy, and a great competitor. God bless him.??Delvin Rodriquez
?He?s got swelling and bleeding on the brain, he?s unconscious and on a ventilator. It?s not good. Obviously, he?s in all of our prayers.??Ron Katz, promoter Star Boxing told ESPN.com.
San Antonio boxer Oscar? ?El Torito? Diaz, who suffered a debilitating brain injury during a 2008 fight against Delvin Rodriguez, died Thursday morning from complications arising from pneumonia. He was 32.
Here is Delvin Rodriguez?s reaction: http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/12394655/oscar-diaz-badly-injured-fight-nearly-7-years-ago-dead-32.
Diaz collapsed in the ring after the 10th round during a nationally televised match against Rodriguez on July 16, 2008. He later lapsed into a coma after being transported to University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. The boxer emerged from the coma two months later, but suffered serious medical complications and setbacks in the years since the injury.
After emergency brain surgery, doctors were unsure how Diaz would recover. His brother, Fernando Diaz, told the San Antonio Express-News that Diaz had been living in a San Antonio nursing home and could not walk on his own.
So there it is, the end of a long and tragic story that seemingly began seven years ago, but I recall another fight involving the well-liked ?El Torito? back on November 10, 2006.
Diaz vs. Johnson (2006)
Golden Johnson met Oscar, an incoming brawler, in San Antonio for local bragging rights and what happened was a display of brutality the likes of which have not been seen in these parts since another ?El Torito? named Tony Ayala did his nasty thing, but it was a fight in which many wondered what part of a white towel Diaz?s corner didn?t understand.
What made the fight a great one was the ebb and flow that kept the 10,000 screaming throughout. Johnson controlled the early part of the fight, but Diaz took over in the middle rounds and hurt Johnson badly in the seventh with a vicious body shot. Indeed, he was poised to take Johnson out when the bell ended the round and arguably saved Golden. It would be Oscar?s last chance
Johnson, for his part, put tremendous punishment on Diaz. In the 2nd round, an accidental head butt opened a two-inch cut over Oscar?s right eye and the blood flowed uncontrollably. Even master cutman Joe Souza couldn?t stop the bleeding. In the 8th round Diaz?s left eye began to swell and close. Blood was coming from his mouth and his hand may have been broken as well. His face was a bloody mess and made some in the crowd yell ?stop it, stop it.?
Diaz, his spirit now rapidly depleting, then took a straight right in the 11th that caught him flush sending him staggering against the ropes. After a lengthy series of savage and unanswered shots, referee Ruben Carrion finally stopped the slaughter?-way too late in my view, proving once again the corner can be a lot braver than the fighter.
The thing is, certain people are placed in charge of protecting a boxer from undue punishment for a reason: the ringside physician, the referee, members of the state boxing commission, if they are present (Larry Hazzard always did this well), and, of course, a fighter?s corner (trainer, second, and cutman). Once a fighter crawls through the ropes, he (or she) puts his well-being in their hands. In a very real sense, a boxer?s life depends on them. In this instance, Oscar?s corner allowed him to take a bloody beating and Johnson?s corner was critical of Diaz?s corner for not stopping the fight sooner. If ever there was a case of discretion being the better part of valor, this was it.
Diaz vs. Valenzuela (2008)
Diaz came back to win a unanimous eight-round decision against Roberto Valenzuela in May 2008 to set up the fateful fight Rodriguez for the vacant regional USBA 147-pound title. The fight, which figured to be competitive, was held in Diaz?s hometown at the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium.
Diaz vs. Rodriguez (2008)
?My back is against the wall in this fight?I have to go out there and show everyone I?m still capable of being one of the best and champion some day.??Diaz
It turned out to be a grueling, physical battle between the brawling 25-year-old Diaz (26-3) and 28-year-old Rodriguez (23-2-1), but the hard hitting D-Rod appeared to take control at the midway point. However, during the course of the fight, there was plenty of give and take and no indication that anything was wrong with ?El Torito.? In fact, he was still throwing punches with malicious intent. However, entering the 10th round, Rodriquez?s trademark slashing shots had finally taken their toll. Diaz looked tired and slow, with his right eye completely closed. As the 11th round was about to begin, Oscar seemed a bit shaky. Something was not right. He put his hands to his head and gave a strained moan before collapsing into unconsciousness. It was frightening to witness because going down like that without being punched meant something very bad was happening. Teddy Atlas at ringside expressed concern because of the fact that Diaz took a lot of punishment in the aforementioned loss to Golden Johnson.
Referee Robert Gonzalez immediately stopped the fight, declaring Rodriguez the winner by technical knockout. Doctors jumped into the ring to attend to the fallen fighter as the fans looked on in horror. A stretcher was quickly rushed into the ring and doctors began treating Diaz on the spot. Diaz was then taken out of the ring and rushed to the University Medical Center by ambulance. A shaken Delvin then led the fans in prayer.
We fans are extremely concerned when boxers such as Victor Burgos and Magomed Abdusalamov are damaged, but then, over a period of time, we seem to forget them. Maybe we assume?or hope?that they will be all right, but that assumption is manifestly fallacious. If they live, they will never be all right; they will never be as they once were. Not when they have to relearn how to talk and walk.
And for Oscar Diaz, the miracle never came.
