My Top Ten Things You?ve Got To Love About Juan Diaz:
1. Juan is not a guy who just talks the talk, he walks the walk. You?ve should seen his prideful smile at the post-fight presser Saturday night as he introduced three of his former Houston high school teachers who were his invited guests at the unification bout with Julio Diaz. One was his ex-woodshop teacher who got to sit at ringside to see his former pupil take Julio to the woodshed. Sometime soon you may have to call him Mayor Diaz. One of his announced ambitions is to become Mayor of the great city of Houston. He just pulled down a $600,000 purse. His next purse has to be in seven figures. As a newly-minted millionaire, he may be able to buy his own law school. He does not badmouth and trash talk possible opponents or even fighters he knows he?ll fight. He either is or plays the gentleman role which is one of many refreshing things about him. He has outgrown his nickname or at least the first half of ?Baby Bull.? At age 24 but acting more mature than that, let?s drop the infantile reference and either get another word in front of Bull or come up with something completely different. One thing is for sure, that ?Atomic Bull? has been taken by Oliver McCall. I hereby officially announce Boxing Confidential?s New Juan Diaz Nickname Contest. You always see his mother and father along with Mr. and Mrs. Willie Savannah on the podium after he fights. What you don?t see is an entourage of gypsies, tramps and thieves. He jokes about having baby fat and no six-pack abs. He can also laugh about how he floats like a butterfly and stings like a moth. Nobody jokes about his awesome energy level, his pinpoint body punching and the blinding hand speed which allowed him to nail Julio with six, seven and eight punch combinations. Willie Savannah has been with the champ since he was a roly-poly 11-year-old. Such loyalty is usually in short supply in professional boxing. He may or may not keep the ?Baby Bull? moniker. Which reminds me that Juan is overdue for a publicity photo with former Giants slugger, Orlando ?Baby Bull? Cepeda. Cepeda is Boricua, not Mexican, but I know he?s a big fight fan. Putting ?Baby Bull? and other livestock nicknames aside, this kid is no bullshitter in the ring or out.
