By Thomas Gerbasi
If it looks like the sports pages resemble a police blotter in recent weeks (Derek Jeter’s farewell to Yankee Stadium excluded), featherweight Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. is that breath of fresh air we’ve been waiting for.
No, he’s not the pound-for-pound king, a vicious knockout artist, or a 126-pound Arturo Gatti. But in terms of being a talented kid on the rise who fights hard in the ring and is a gentleman outside of it, the 2012 United States Olympic team member from South El Monte, California could very well be what the sport needs. In fact, he may just be too nice for boxing.
“I don’t think I’m too nice for boxing,” Diaz laughs. “Boxing is a very tough sport and I know that once I’m in the ring I’m a whole different person. I’m nice outside the ring, I give the fans a great smile and stuff like that, but once I step into the ring, it’s all business and I’m a whole different person in there. I’m mean and I just want to get that win.”
You almost can’t believe him when he says he’s mean in the ring, but getting to the Olympics and running out to an 11-0 pro record proves that he’s got a little streak of mean in him. In all seriousness though, at 21, Diaz shows a maturity way beyond his years in the way he carries himself.
“I just try to be myself,” he said. “I’m glad people think I’m a role model and a couple schools wanted me to go talk to the kids to inspire them. A lot of the kids look up to me and I just thank God because it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get where I’m at. If the kids listen to me and are determined and they stay focused in whatever they want to do in life, they can do it, and I’m glad I get to be a role model to the kids that watch boxing or follow me. It’s just a dream come true and a blessing.”
Diaz says he owes his maturity and his decision to walk down a more positive road to his parents, and like many mothers and fathers, when Diaz wanted to be a teenager, they made sure he wasn’t drifting into some rough territory.
“Back when I was 17, 18, whenever I wanted to try to go out with my friends, my father and my mom asked me who my friends were, and they made sure that if they were troublemakers, then I wasn’t able to go out because they wanted me to stay out of trouble,” Diaz said. “I thank God for my parents because if it wasn’t for them, who knows where I would be.”
At this point, you almost expect to hear of the time Diaz got involved with the wrong crowd, did hard time, or developed a drug habit. But it’s just not there. Sadly, when you tell a story like this, it’s around this time that the bad stuff gets revealed, followed by the tale of redemption. But Diaz doesn’t have such salacious details in his life. The kid fights, he wins, he smiles, and he does it again.
Is that enough these days? Well, it’s going to have to be, because it looks like Diaz has the goods and will be staying in the spotlight for a while. It’s a trait shared by his 2012 Olympic teammates, most of whom have passed that initial euphoria stage (aka the fighting guys who are expected to lose stage) to become legitimate prospects.
“Everybody from the 2012 Olympic team is very disciplined and very focused on what they want to achieve,” Diaz said. “It was unfortunate that none of us got any medals, but I honestly believe that it wasn’t our fault. It had to do a lot with judging, but I’m glad that everybody’s focused and doing well in the pros. It’s a dream come true seeing my brother Olympians succeed.”
Diaz will be taking a big step for himself and his teammates on Monday, when he headlines a card on Fox Sports 1 in Hidalgo, Texas on September 29. Originally expected to be headlined by the heavyweight bout between Antonio Tarver and Johnathan Banks, a Tarver injury moved Diaz – fighting in only his second 10 rounder – into the main event.
“I was very excited,” he said. “Once they told me that Antonio Tarver’s hand got injured and I was going to move up to the event, my eyes got so excited, and I ran to my mom and told her; I told my dad as well, and they were super excited. It’s a blessing and I never knew that it was going to come this quick. That was one of my dreams to fight in a main event fight, and here I am.”
The 25-year-old Hidalgo (22-11, 16 KOs) is a perfect opponent for this stage of Diaz’ career. He’s got some experience, he should go some rounds, but his history has proven that when he’s stepped up against hot prospects like Ivan Morales, Jesse Magdaleno, and Jose Lopez, he’s lost. Diaz isn’t looking at this as a gimme though.
“He’s a tough warrior,” he said of Hidalgo. “He’s still young, he’s still hungry, and he wants to pull an upset. I’ve seen that he likes to move around and box and he doesn’t like to exchange. When you’re about to exchange, he likes to clinch, but me and my dad, we’ve been going over some good techniques. I’ll be ready for anything, and whatever Raul Hidalgo brings, I’ll be ready for him.”
It’s the right attitude to have, simply because at this point, every fighter Diaz faces will usually fight harder, knowing that pinning the first loss on an Olympian’s record is a nice notch to have in the belt, one that will lead to a bigger fight or, at the very least, a rematch. Diaz doesn’t necessarily feel like the hunted, as he’s been doing this for over half his life. In other words, whether an opponent fights harder or fights not to lose, he’s still got to fight.
“I don’t feel like the target’s on my back,” Diaz said. “I just gotta go in there and do what I do. I feel no pressure. I’ve been fighting for a long time and I’ve been boxing since I was 10 years old, and it’s crazy, but it’s like a hobby for me now. Once I step inside the ring all the butterflies go away and I just try to perform to my best ability.”
Too good to be true. Nah. Just the way things should be in pro sports these days.
