By Ryan Songalia

"I know exactly what you're watching for," Nate Campbell tells this observant scribe as he gracefully moves around the ring. "You want to know if I still have legs, don't you?" Given the fact that Campbell will turn 36 the day before he challenges the 24 year old WBA/IBF/WBO Lightweight champion Juan Diaz, 33-0 (17 KO), the issue of whether his feet still follow what the brain says is of primary significance.

Campbell, 31-5 (25 KO), is upset today because the sparring partners he was expecting will not arrive until tomorrow. Having driven an hour north from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, FL's Palm Beach Boxing Gym, his frustration is understandable. "I've been having to bring guys up from Miami to spar with, I wish these guys would've been here." Resolved to get in with just about anyone, 2-0 (2 KO) Ibahiem King will have to do. Campbell seems unconcerned with the physical size advantages of the middleweight King, who weighed 163 for his previous fight.

When the bell rings, "The Galaxxy Warrior" becomes "The Professor", giving the local resident King a boxing lesson. Fighting out of a cross-body defense that pays homage to Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore, Campbell dances in both directions while popping the jab, landing virtually at will against the heavily muscled southpaw. Counter right hands catch King cold as the gap in experience shows too vividly.

"I have a real Napoleon's Complex!" exclaims Campbell after the third round of sparring. Campbell's counterpunching is evident against the ropes as he leans back taking the steam out of his opponent's flurries while returning fire with combos that strafe King's head and body simultaneously. If a deaf man was listening to the scuffle, the sounds and vibrations coming off Campbell's punches would convince the sightless man that both combatants were of the same division.

"Now we're playing my game," resolved the pupil to his teacher. "No, we always play my game," offers back Campbell before sticking a jab in his opponent's mouth.

They engage at a brisk pace for the entire six rounds before King's trainer Lou Martinez pulls the plug on the session. "He wasn't hurt but he was breaking down mentally," Martinez says. "I learned a lot from that," King says, grateful for the much-needed experience. "Nate's fast. There's not too many boxers at his weight who can punch like him and move that good. He has the all-around package." As King prepares for the next phase of his workout, Campbell offers further advice to the young upstart.

Campbell was pleased with the work he received from King. "He threw a lot of shots inside," he replied when asked how the session benefits him in preparing for Diaz. "He would throw six or seven punches and hit me with one, but I'd come back with three or four clean punches. He was trying to keep me at bay with the jab, but I kept him at bay even when he was first. I would step off and touch him with my feints. Little stuff I did made him think about what he was doing."

Removing the sweaty top he wore during his workout, Campbell reveals a new tatoo that stretches across his back. It is of a Phoenix, a figure that tells the story of Campbell's tumultuous career. "It burns really hot and burns into ashes. And from the ashes, it rises again." "How does that pertain to you?" I inquire. "Watch...," replies Campbell. I notice a Guess Jeans logo on his right arm and ask what compelled him to get the tat affixed to his body. "I dunno," Campbell responds, explaining how at 15 he was obsessed with the clothing line.

About four weeks away from the biggest fight of his life, Campbell seems almost dismissive of "The Baby Bull", who is nearly 12 years his junior. "Everybody makes him out to be some kind of dynamo. What's dynamic about him? I don't care about busy because he can't be busy all night. At some point, he has to stop punching." At that point, Campbell disappears to the back room to shower. When he returns, Campbell announces his present weight at 142 pounds.

As Campbell tries on a new lime-green polo shirt that he paid $20 bucks for four of, a courier arrives with two custom mouthpieces. One guard is straight out of a bad joke kit, a busted tooth shield that elicits chuckles from the small group of six people present. The other simply reads "Matador". "He's the Baby Bull, and I'm the bull fighter."

The gym owner Martinez has a special surprise in order for Campbell today. Campbell removes a towel covering an object in the middle of the ring. To his delight, it's the trophy he had won for being the Most Outstanding Boxer in a 1999 SEC Regional Tournament. Campbell rejoices as he shows off the hardware. "It took them nine years to get it to me, but I'll take it nonetheless."

Campbell's trainer John David Jackson arrives with heavyweight Jameel McCline, who will be fighting on the same Cancun, Mexico card against John Ruiz. Sporting a shiner he says he received from a sparring session with Allan Green, Jackson echoes similar sentiments pertaining to the Diaz fight. "Juan Diaz's style is made to order for Nate Campbell. If you're not someone who studies the fight game, you might fall under the assumption that Diaz is younger, stronger, and a busier fighter that would wear down the older fighter. Nate Campbell is not long in the tooth. He's a debilitating body puncher and Diaz has never had anyone go consistently to his body."

After tying his sneakers up, Campbell returns to analyzing the fight for which he is preparing for. "I can fight inside, outside, around the corner, in the alley way. Wherever you wanna fight, I can fight. Now the question is, can he fight where I want to fight? He can only fight one way. Everybody who watches Diaz fight, tell me what style can he fight other than coming forward. Even when he fought Lakva Sim, who was slower than molasses in the freezer. No disrespect, but I know old ladies on walkers faster than Sim. At the end of the fight, his face look like he hadn't been hit."

Campbell informs me of a betting parlor that posted 7-1 odds on a Diaz victory. Campbell says he intends to put $50,000 on himself with the dividends to pay for two new cars for his fiance' should he win.

I remind Campbell of talks that Julio Diaz, the former IBF Lightweight champion Campbell feels ducked him intentionally, is fighting for a number two ranking in the organization. "And I'll make him fight for the number one spot as well," Campbell says, still holding a grudge.

As he heads for a red SUV that reads "One Punch Promotions" on it, Campbell explains that he's never been hesitant to fight anyone, insinuating that Diaz has not shared his same wanton. "I fought guys 7-0 in my first five fights. Jimmy Waldrop was matching him and he got knocked down in his eighth fight (it was actually his 12th fight) against Ubaldo Hernandez. They stopped using Jimmy Waldrop. Jimmy Waldrop matched me to 23-0 and put me in with much better fighters. I came up the old-fashioned way, by fighting. I didn't care who they put me in with or what kind of gloves. I felt I could beat them with a catcher's mitt."

We made our way to Chili's for a bite to eat and a place to continue our conversation. There the topic turns to how present-day champions are reluctant to face one another. "I would fight my momma if the money was right," Campbell says after ordering "guiltless grilled salmon" with cream of broccoli soup and an artichoke dip appetizer. "I come from a broken home. My Mom can fight. The first time I saw anyone get knocked out, my momma did it. She knocked the guy out with one right hand. I thought it was awesome. It was an abusive knockout, the kind that you're looking around for cops."

Despite the disparity in blemishes on his record and Diaz's, Campbell isn't swayed in his self belief. "Every mistake I made, I learned from it. Every loss I got, it made me a better fighter. I learned a lot more about myself in my five losses than he has in his 33 wins.

"Juan hasn't learned anything about himself. He hasn't had to dig into himself yet. Anyone can keep throwing punches when they're ahead. Can he get off the canvas in a fight he's losing? He got off the canvas with Hernandez and they gave him the fight. He didn't learn in that fight."

Campbell only makes it through 1/4 of the salmon fillet and boxes the rest up for dinner. Upon dropping $25 dollars for his portion of the bill, Campbell reveals a personal side to the impending clash. "I genuinely dislike Diaz and his camp. I tried to be respectful and be as nice as possible. Willy Savannah got to be ready to watch me kill him because I'm coming to die. When that bell rings on March 8, it's fight, kill, or die. For these guys who are saying Diaz is going to beat me, run the bet up. Make me a 10-1 underdog."

With that, Campbell says his goodbyes and heads toward his vehicle.

Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com