By Rene Umanzor
Juan Diaz (38-4, 19KOs) is ready for his first fight in 2014. Later tonight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, he will face Gerardo Robles in a fight that marks the path toward a world title. Diaz, 30-years-old, walked away from boxing in 2010, after losing a twelve round decision in his rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez.
After watching the much older Marquez score a dramatic one-punch knockout of Manny Pacquiao in December of 2012, Diaz felt his inner fire reignited and he resumed his career last April.
"I want to win another world title. I want to be one of the few fighters who was a world champion, then retired and then returned to be crowned again. I'm stronger now and I want to prove I still have the qualities [to be a champion]. The 2010 bout against Juan Manuel Marquez was the one that closed my career, it was when I decided to retire and start my own business," said Diaz.
"When I saw the last fight between Marquez against Manny Pacquiao, seeing Juan beat him by knockout - it lit the fire again and I decided to come back. The three years I was out helped me because I trained a lot, boxing was my life. All the time I was training so I had to rest from the eight years of boxing."
Rene Umanzor covers boxing in Mexico for The Record.
