By Rick Reeno
The proposed bout between IBF/WBO/WBA Juan Diaz (33-0, 17KOs) and IBF mandatory Nate Campbell (31-5-1, 25KOs), scheduled for March 8 in Cancun, Mexico - has stalled without movement.
Campbell has signed for the fight, Diaz has not - and probably won't, unless certain stipulations are removed from the fight contract. The Diaz camp is willing to fight for an amount which is lower than the agreed upon contract minimum - if Don King presents a contract without stipulations for future options.
There are two stipulations that worry the Diaz camp in particular. If Nate Campbell pulls out for any reason, Don King would get an extension on Diaz of 180-days. The bigger problem is the main event featuring injury-prone Oleg Maskaev, who defends his WBC heavyweight title against Samuel Peter. Should Maskaev and/or Peter pull out for any reason, resulting in the cancellation of the event, King would also receive an extension of 180-days on Diaz.
However, the Diaz camp is willing to agree on a 90-day extension, if Diaz happens to pull out for any reason. Diaz's contract with King runs out on March 31.
Another problem, is the confusion over which of the three titles are going to be defended against Campbell. The Diaz camp is worried about being stripped by the WBA and/or the WBO, if the IBF title is the only title on the line. If the WBA and WBO assure the Diaz camp of no potential penalties, they are willing to move with only the IBF title on the line.
Diaz wants to defend his title against Campbell, and he's willing to take a purse cut to do it - IF there is no further obligation to promoter Don King. Michael Katsidis' manager and trainer Brendon Smith plans to petition the WBO to strip Diaz of their title, and wants them to upgrade Katsidis from interim to full champion. Katsidis, according to several sources, has signed to fight former champion Joel Casamayor on March 22.
"We haven't signed a contract to fight anyone. Katsidis has signed to fight (Joel) Casamayor. How can he move to strip Juan when his fighter signed a contract to fight someone else," Diaz's manager Willie Savannah said to BoxingScene.com.
Diaz was previously scheduled to face Katsidis (23-0, 20KOs), the WBO mandatory, on February 9. After a contract dispute over Golden Boy Promotions winning the purse bid and King sending a legal letter to HBO, the network pulled the plug on the fight.
Following Casamayor's controversial win over Jose Armando Santa Cruz on the Nov. 10 undercard to Shane Mosley-Miguel Cotto, the WBC ordered a rematch between Casamayor (WBC interim-champion) and Santa Cruz. If Casamayor moves forward with Katsidis, it's safe to say the WBC will either appoint Santa Cruz as the WBC interim-champion by default or schedule a fight for the vacant interim title between Cruz and some available body position within their rankings.
