By Tom Donelson
Baby Bull Juan Diaz is a perpetual machine, arms always moving and accurately hitting their target. Diaz is one of those guys who you can love. He is wiser than his 20 years of age and when he marches into the ring, he is all business.
Against Julien Lorcy, he pounded the Frenchman from one side of the ring to the other. Lorcy, a tough nut, withstood the pounding of the Baby Bull but he could never seem to get Diaz off stride. As the fight progressed, Diaz merely got stronger. Diaz pressure and hand speed overcame Lorcy experience. Speed and endurance beat experience.
What impresses you about Diaz is his arsenal. A pressure fighter, Diaz jabs his way into his opponent chest. His jab moved smoothly into Lorcy face and rarely missed. Neither did his left hook and the swelling of Lorcy left side showed the effect of the hooks. And then when Lorcy was looking for the left, Diaz right hand nailed the center of Lorcy’s face.
For Diaz, his first defense proved a major test. Lorcy had 56 wins with 41 knockouts and his goal was to mix it up with Diaz. Lorcy’s power did not faze Diaz but Diaz multiple attacks kept Lorcy back on his heel. When the fight began, Lorcy counted on his boxing skills and power to win his third lightweight title. Instead, it was Diaz taking Lorcy to school. The student became the professor and the professor proved to be a step too slow. After the end of the fight, Diaz won an easy decision in a fight never in doubt.
Diaz is a rising star in the lightweight division but this division has suddenly become deep with the addition of the three of junior lightweights best: Corrales, Casamayor, and Freitas. Then there is Jose Luis Castillo, who gave Roger Mayweather his toughest challenge. (Many felt that he won their first fight and regardless, it was Mayweather closet fight.) Diaz is currently behind all of these fighters and soon, we will find out exactly how good Diaz is compared to the best of the division.
Diaz biggest asset is his endurance and youth. He can throw punches in bunches and never seem to tire. He wears his opponent out and he can box. Against Laka Sim, Diaz showed boxing skills to go with his aggressive style. The weakness in Diaz’s arsenal is his power. He will not knock you out with one punch and with only 12 knockouts in 26 straight victories; Diaz is a fighter with apparent power shortages.
The real question is how would Diaz match up with Corrales, the division biggest hitter? Could Diaz get on the inside of Corrales reach and pound him or would Corrales power be too much? Could he stand toe to toe with Castillo or wear out Casamayor?
It is hard to believe that Diaz is only 20 but then the kid is the real thing. Beginning his career as a junior welterweight, he moved down to lightweight and he still is a work in project. Right now, Diaz is fifth in line as far as the lightweights goes but soon he could be part of the round robin that is ensuing to determine the best. Corrales has already taken care of Freitas and Casamayor fights Castillo in December. So Diaz is now in position to fight one of the survivors.
Diaz is now ready to make the move upwards. He has the skills but does he have the power to compete? Stay tune, we will know within the next 12 months.
Kostya Tszyu
Okay, I was skeptical. I saw Mitchell out boxing and winning this fight on the theory that 21 months lay-off and recovery from surgeries are not beneficial for 35 year old Fighters.
I was wrong. Kostya Tszyu demolished Sharmba Mitchell in three rounds. The first two minutes, Mitchell boxed and hit Tszyu with a solid left hand at the two-minute mark of the first round. Then the fight turned for the worst for Mitchell. From this point, it was as if Tszyu never left the ring.
Tsyzu roughed Mitchell up in the last minute of the first round and in the next round; he went to work. At the first minute of the second round, Tsyzu nailed Mitchell with a perfect right hand. Mitchell stumbled and his body rocked. Tsyzu followed with another compact right followed by a left hook and yet another solid right. Mitchell went down.
Over the next two minutes, Mitchell tried to fight back and even connected with a straight left with ten second left in the round. No sooner than Mitchell hit Tsyzu with his left, Tsyzu countered with a left hook that left Mitchell wobbly.
In the third and final round, Tsyzu put on the finishing touch. Mitchell boxed and jabbed. Three straight jabs landed but Tsyzu smashed the perfect right into Mitchell face and Mitchell’s butt hit the canvas. Mitchell staggered back up and Tsyzu punished Mitchell with sharp punches to the body. Mitchell went down a second time.
Mitchell no longer had his leg and Tsyzu knew that moment has come to end it. He pressured the American and once again forced Mitchell to the rope. This time there was no escape. The referee ended the fight.
Tszyu rarely waste motion when he fights and his punches are compact. His power comes from the compact, sharp nature of his punch and he lives by the motto that a straight punch reaches its target quicker than a roundhouse punch. You rarely see a wild punch from Tszyu.
Tsyzu defeated the second best junior welterweight in the world or the second best for the moment. After the fight, Tsyzu stated that he wanted big money fights. And he is in the right division. Arturo Gatti, Floyd Mayweather, Vivian Harris and Ricky Hatton all stand in line for Tsyzu. Tsyzu is still the king of the 140-pound fighters and no fighter can claim to be the true champion until they defeat Tsyzu. Last night, the King showed the world that he still has what it takes to stay on top. And there are plenty of dream match-ups left.
