By Miguel Rivera
Super featherweight contender Christopher "Smurf" Diaz may, for the moment, continue his career without any roadblocks.
Judge Anthony Cuevas of the Court of First Instance in San Juan, determined that Diaz will be able to vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) world title on July 28 in Kissimmee, Florida.
As BoxingScene.com reported last week, former manager and trainer Ricky Marquez filed a lawsuit against the boxer for breach of contract.
Osvaldo Sandoval Báez, who is Márquez's lawyer, explained that the judge's decision is due to the closeness of the fight between Diaz and Japan's Masayuki Ito for the 130-pound crown.
"With that in mind, he was requesting one of two things: that he would not be allowed to fight or that he would post bond (of $ 80,000) on what is determined if the restrictive order proceeds. The judge will let him fight before determining if he should pay a bond," said Sandoval Báez to Carlos Gonzalez.
"The controversy is that there are two contracts with Márquez, one as manager and one as coach. One was signed in 2015 for four years and the other in 2017, also for four years."
Márquez claims in the lawsuit that Díaz has failed to comply with the agreements and, in addition, is requesting an amount of money that has not been determined.
During the hearing, Diaz's lawyer Hector Ferrer presented his arguments to dismiss the claim. However, Sandoval Báez requested time to respond because Ferrer's motion was filed on Sunday afternoon. During the hearing, the legal representation of Díaz admitted that there is a pending debt.
"For a contract to be invalid, it has to be canceled. Our position is that if it has not expired and the contract is valid. To have recognized that there is a debt is an acknowledgment that (the contract) is valid. In one way or another, our case will proceed. Diaz does not want to be with Márquez, but if they are willing to buy out my client (Márquez) for a reasonable amount of money we are willing to listen," said Sandoval Báez.
"Diaz arrived at Márquez's gym with only one fight and the day he decided to leave, he was ranked number one in the world with an immaculate record."
