Very few people in the boxing world have gotten as many rewarding experiences out in Las Vegas as veteran corner man Miguel Diaz. Born in Argentina in 1932, Diaz would eventually make his way to the United States in search of a better life and soon was able to call California his home. A relocation to Nevada would come hand in hand with Diaz? involvement in the sport and he would soon find himself working with one of the sport?s biggest promotional companies, Top Rank.
Diaz? work within the company saw him play many roles, from being an every day cut man, giving advice in the corner, helping the fighters in training camp with their day to day needs, and just about anything else you could imagine or ask for. Over the years Diaz has played an intricate part in the careers of such fighters as Erik ?El Terrible? Morales, Miguel Cotto, Ricardo Torres, Joshua Clottey, and countless others.
One talent who Diaz got to know all too well was young and ambitious Floyd Mayweather Jr. who was fresh into his contract with Top Rank. Many hours were spent between the two men and Diaz? belief in the Grand Rapids native?s ability was evident. While it was a great relationship the two men would eventually have to part ways in early 2001 as Diaz was working the corner of one of Mayweather?s opponents.
?I had a great time with him,? Diaz said of his time with Floyd. ?Unfortunately at that particular time he had to fight one of my fighters, Diego Corrales. I was working the cuts on Floyd but I was training Diego so I had to separate from the team. I had too many little things at the time but I had a great relation with them and I still talk to his father and Uncle. I am actually the one responsible for Rafael Garcia being in his corner.?
Life would move on for both men as Mayweather continued to pile up titles and build upon his undefeated record while Diaz? work saw him still work with many of the sport?s finest athletes. In late 2008 Diaz was brought into Manny Pacquiao?s corner as the Filipino icon prepared for his highly anticipated clash with Oscar De La Hoya and has been with his team ever since. In being around the reigning WBO Welterweight champion Diaz can attest that his dedication sets him apart.
?If you have the time, go one day to the Wild Card Gym and just see Pacquiao train,? Diaz stated. ?I never have seen anybody train like he does. We have went with Bruce Trampler, the matchmaker of Top Rank, almost once a week. We stayed three or four hours at the gym and when we leave four hours later he was still training. That shows you how much conditioning he puts into the fight.?
Having first hand knowledge of each man, Diaz is a natural to ask for when looking for an opinion on the possible contest. Matching Floyd?s skills and speed against Pacquiao?s awkward yet efficient attack is sure give us the answers we are looking for and Diaz doesn?t hide his thoughts on the matchup.
?Fantastic,? Diaz said. ?A boxer against a brawler. It?s a dream match, the fight everybody wants to see. Floyd has a radar for punches. Pacquiao throws punches from different angels and it?s hard to pick him up. It would be the dream match for any promoter in the era of boxing. No question about it, I have to go with my man Pacquiao.?
The biggest hurdle in making the fight happen appears to be finding a happy medium on Mayweather?s proposed Olympic style drug testing scenario. Floyd states that he is out to clean up the sport and despite Pacquiao?s initial disagreement with his demands the two camps seem to be making progress on the contest. When pressed for his thoughts on the issue Diaz seems to see the positive and negative in it all.
?I think in a way anyway anything you do to keep the game clean is good,? Diaz said. ?It won?t be bad but it?s going to be expensive. If you have to do it for the championship you have to do it for the four round fighters. The commission has to change the style of taking tests. I think it?s going to be too complicated if you ask me. You are talking about the guys making millions of dollars, what about the guys who are only making a thousand dollars for four rounds? If you do it for the championship you have to do it for everybody and that?s the only logic you can have.?
In recent years the two men have both made a name for themselves in the Las Vegas area. Mayweather resides in the city and has fought his last six bouts there. As for Pacquiao, ten of his last fifteen contests have been in Nevada and the city is always with open arms on the thought of him coming to town. While it may seem likely that a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight ends up in Vegas it should be noted that Manny?s fight with Joshua Clottey in March was a financial success, with over 50,000 people in attendance at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. In closing Diaz feels that Vegas may have the edge in landing the fight but nothing is for certain.
?In a way, yes, but in a way the economics will dictate where the fight belongs. The economics of this fight. People don?t realize that two guys who are going to get the maximum. The economics will dictate where the fight has to take place.?
Boxing is full of colorful characters and you will be hard pressed to find anyone as wise or experienced as Miguel Diaz. Through his involvement in the sport Diaz has gotten to work with such fighters as Pacquiao, Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Kelly Pavlik, Jose Luis Castillo, and countless others. Click on the collage for more on the fighters Diaz has worked with?
