Every morning as I drive in Los Angeles? bumper to bumper traffic to work my soundtrack is the Dan Patrick Show. Sitting in for Dan today happened to be all-around Philly guy Tony Bruno and my ears perked up when a boxing story was teased.
Of course the story was not about an action-filled crowd pleasing fight, or about the upcoming fight between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. As usual, boxing had once again been faced with an in the ring fighter collapse.
Last night on ESPN?s Wednesday Night Fights, Oscar Diaz took a beating from welterweight Delvin Rodriguez. With Diaz’s right eye swollen from Rodriguez?s excellent jab, referee Robert Gonzalez went to assess the damage after the tenth round. Diaz stood up, let out a yell, and his legs then went out from under him. Diaz squatted down and was laidd down as medics attended to him and transported him to the hospital.
Diaz under went emergency brain surgery at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Boxing Confidential hopes for Diaz?s full recovery.
Unfortunately this was a scene that has played out before in the sport and will again. The dangers boxers face inside the ring are very real and we must all work to better the safety of fighters.
It disgusts me that sports radio shows and other outlets seem to focus on boxing when something goes wrong. When Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez thrilled fans over three amazing fights, I did not hear squat from the mainstream. Kelly Pavlik emerges as a marketable and competitive American force in the middleweight division; do the media shine their spotlight on that? No.
Instead we hear about the tragedies of men like Oscar Diaz, without respecting the sport they dedicate their lives to. That is not right.
